A common trend that seems to be growing in education today is the reflection that teachers workloads are nothing like what they were 50 years ago. Are our teachers over-worked? It seems that many teachers think so.
50 years ago, a teacher had a responsibility to teach the academic basics. For the most part, that was it. Today, other than teaching, our teachers are increasingly becoming coaches, counsellors, moral compasses and in some cases, even taking on the role of a parent. All of this stuff takes extra time, and in some cases, extra activities are not even voluntary. In some divisions, teachers are REQUIRED to take part in extra-curriculars. So add these extra hours on top of regular class and prep time, and teachers are working far more than a 40 hour work week.
The prep time that teachers need has increased over the years as well. Class sizes are increasing and differentiating instruction is becoming the trend. Teachers are expected to tailor lessons to each individual student, so as to give them the best education possible, but that takes extra time as well. No longer is the same lesson for everyone good enough. I think that the amount of areas teachers are expected to teach in is increasing too. As stated earlier, we no longer just teach the basics, we are expected to teach the child as a whole, and this is a huge responsibility. Add things like ICT, EAL, Reading Recovery, Sustainable Development etc. to the list on top of academics and social skills, and it would seem that the accusation is true. Teachers ARE over-worked. They do the job of several in a work day fit for one.
Now there are many people that will say teachers have it slack. They get the whole summer off right? And they make fairly good money. What people dont realize is that although teachers do get the summers off, most of them still spend a good chunk of the holiday preparing for the next year. On top of that, it is also a proven fact that many teachers spend money out of their own pocket on school supplies, not to mention the the various PDs they attend. There are budgets to cover PD expenses usually, but each teacher is only alloted so much. Once that is spent, they pay out of their own pocket.
Despite all of this, can one really argue about being over-worked? As education students of the present, we all know exactly what we are getting ourselves into, and for us it should seem more like the norm. Perhaps if one isn't prepared for these commitments, then they are in the wrong profession. The best advice that I can think of is for teachers to involve themselves in extra-curriculars that they themselves are personally interested in. Perhaps then it will seem like less of an obligation, or chore, and will be more fun. We also need to work as a team, and use each other as resources, to make lesson planning as easy as possible.The long and the short of it is that the world will continue to need teachers, and the chances of things changing any time soon are slim. We just need to organize our time efficiently and do the best we can.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Technology & Education
This semester I have had the pleasure of taking my first ICT class. When the first day rolled around, I'll admit, my nerves were running high. What the heck is a podcast? A blog? A wiki? I couldn't possibly do all of this! And now, slowly but surely throughout the course of these 8 weeks, I have learned that not only can I do this, but that it is actually fun!
A few of the first things that we learned how to do was to take screenshots using JING and to create our own personal home pages. I am now proud to report that I use my personal home page every day, and for someone that spends a lot of time on the computer, I dont know how I ever lived without it! It just makes so much sense to be able to have easy access to all of things that you use every day in one place. I am also finding that I use JING for many, many, projects as well, and am extremely pleased that it was introduced to me.
Now, from personal experience, though I could see its merits, I have generally been a strong supporter of NOT including some sorts of technology in education. As far as I could tell cell phones, texting, facebook and I-Pods created more trouble than they were worth and so the easiest thing to do seemed simply just to restrict their use or ban them altogether. After taking this course, I have changed many of the opinions that I used to hold about technology and education. Times are changing whether we like it or not, and we must embrace technology, not push it away. Kids are going to use it irregardless of what we choose to teach or include, and the best way for us to combat its improper use, is to learn about it ourselves, and teach kids the right way to use it. Knowledge is power.
Of course the first thing that probably comes to everyones mind when you say technology or social networking is Facebook. It is blocked in the division that I used to work in, and I always thought that perhaps that was for the best. However, after listening to professor Nantais talk about it, and sitting in on George Couros presentation, I have decided that perhaps Facebook has its merits after all. Why not have a classroom facebook page? It is a good place to communicate with parents and post important dates and events. Or perhaps the buses at your school have been cancelled for the day. Is this not a great place to post information like this? I think that there are actually many, many uses for Facebook in this manner in a classroom. The key is simply to teach its proper use and guidelines, and monitor the children closely.
How about Facebook and teachers? Many people will tell you that its not a good idea for teachers to be on Facebook, and that it may keep you from getting a job, but as I have learned in ICT class this year, it can also be a persuasive marketing tool. Should teachers be careful about what they have on their profile? Absolutely. But, so long as we are careful to keep our profiles closely in check, facebook may actually be used to show potential employers many of our strengths, passions and accomplishments.
Of course there are other things that would be great assests to a classroom as well that I have learned. Having a classroom website, can fufill the same duties as a Facebook page as well, and you could include resources, book lists, games, homework assignments etc. We created one in class, and it really enabled me to see the value in them. Or how about having a classroom blog? Again, this could be an excellent way to communicate with parents, and even the kids could participate in this. The nice thing about a blog is that if everyone (parents, children, etc.) is willing to make it public, you open yourself up to comments from others as well. This may give some different perspectives and ideas, or help the kids to see some similarities between themselves and others. It opens them up to whole new kind of learning that they never would have had before. It also allows them to reflect.
So in conclusion, does technology have a place in Education? Absolutely. Technology helps children connect to new people, places and ideas. It also helps to encourage collaboration and critical thinking. Google Docs are an excellent example of this, that I have now experienced for myself, and they are excellent. But should technology be closely monitored? I think so, and it is up to us as teachers to do the best we can in teaching children proper and careful use of it. Technology is growing and growing every day, and we must grow with it or risk being left behind.
A few of the first things that we learned how to do was to take screenshots using JING and to create our own personal home pages. I am now proud to report that I use my personal home page every day, and for someone that spends a lot of time on the computer, I dont know how I ever lived without it! It just makes so much sense to be able to have easy access to all of things that you use every day in one place. I am also finding that I use JING for many, many, projects as well, and am extremely pleased that it was introduced to me.
Now, from personal experience, though I could see its merits, I have generally been a strong supporter of NOT including some sorts of technology in education. As far as I could tell cell phones, texting, facebook and I-Pods created more trouble than they were worth and so the easiest thing to do seemed simply just to restrict their use or ban them altogether. After taking this course, I have changed many of the opinions that I used to hold about technology and education. Times are changing whether we like it or not, and we must embrace technology, not push it away. Kids are going to use it irregardless of what we choose to teach or include, and the best way for us to combat its improper use, is to learn about it ourselves, and teach kids the right way to use it. Knowledge is power.
Of course the first thing that probably comes to everyones mind when you say technology or social networking is Facebook. It is blocked in the division that I used to work in, and I always thought that perhaps that was for the best. However, after listening to professor Nantais talk about it, and sitting in on George Couros presentation, I have decided that perhaps Facebook has its merits after all. Why not have a classroom facebook page? It is a good place to communicate with parents and post important dates and events. Or perhaps the buses at your school have been cancelled for the day. Is this not a great place to post information like this? I think that there are actually many, many uses for Facebook in this manner in a classroom. The key is simply to teach its proper use and guidelines, and monitor the children closely.
How about Facebook and teachers? Many people will tell you that its not a good idea for teachers to be on Facebook, and that it may keep you from getting a job, but as I have learned in ICT class this year, it can also be a persuasive marketing tool. Should teachers be careful about what they have on their profile? Absolutely. But, so long as we are careful to keep our profiles closely in check, facebook may actually be used to show potential employers many of our strengths, passions and accomplishments.
Of course there are other things that would be great assests to a classroom as well that I have learned. Having a classroom website, can fufill the same duties as a Facebook page as well, and you could include resources, book lists, games, homework assignments etc. We created one in class, and it really enabled me to see the value in them. Or how about having a classroom blog? Again, this could be an excellent way to communicate with parents, and even the kids could participate in this. The nice thing about a blog is that if everyone (parents, children, etc.) is willing to make it public, you open yourself up to comments from others as well. This may give some different perspectives and ideas, or help the kids to see some similarities between themselves and others. It opens them up to whole new kind of learning that they never would have had before. It also allows them to reflect.
So in conclusion, does technology have a place in Education? Absolutely. Technology helps children connect to new people, places and ideas. It also helps to encourage collaboration and critical thinking. Google Docs are an excellent example of this, that I have now experienced for myself, and they are excellent. But should technology be closely monitored? I think so, and it is up to us as teachers to do the best we can in teaching children proper and careful use of it. Technology is growing and growing every day, and we must grow with it or risk being left behind.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)