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.