Our class readings seem to be in agreement; new technology is here to stay and we would be foolish to ignore it. As Nancy Frey, etal., say in Literacy 2.0: Reading and Writing in 21st Century Classrooms, Literacy 2.0 does not replace Literacy 1.0. It builds upon it. We need a different mindset regarding what literacy is and how we teach it. Rebecca Anderson and her co-writers say much the same thing in Technology to Teach Literacy: a Resource for K-8 Teachers, "In one sense, computer technology is so pervasive at all levels of education that the question is no longer whether a teacher should use technology, but instead it is how should it be used to support literacy."
While I agree with these writers, I think it is important to maintain a level of competency in reading and writing in the traditional sense and not lose track of it while we are redefining and rethinking how we define "literacy." All communication takes place through symbols, and even in the digital world, words are a big part of that lexicon of symbols.
The text that you quoted is right on, but it is sad when the mentally of majority does not feel the same way in our schools. To administrators and tech-savvy teachers, this quote makes complete sense to them. To other teachers, the quote was meant for those that work in a computer lab or library. I do not think all teachers take ownership of technology in the classroom yet due to the lack of training. Although I have a short amount of experience in the classroom (I'm a second year teacher), I can already see teachers disregarding entire programs used by the district if they were not given sufficiently trained on such programs. I feel that there are many unwritten laws about being a teacher that I learned today: 1.) Spending large amounts of money on your own classroom every year to prepare it is normal 2.) Barely getting to eat lunch or not at all because you have too many "to-do" items on your list from administration is normal 3.)Having free-time to read books about education and teach ourselves things we need to know is normal. I feel like these things wouldn't be normal in any other job profession. I truly feel teachers need training on technology - more than what districts are already giving. If schools, districts, and states are expecting transformation by just living by the promotion of 21st Century learning skills alone, then they will be disappointed. This article entitled, "The Missing Link in Educational Technology: Trained Teachers" describes how districts can better prepare teachers to use technology. See http://www.techknowlogia.com/TKL_Articles/PDF/435.pdf.
ReplyDeleteReally good article you posted, Kristen. I really think we need to revamp the teacher training and certification process to include significant hours of technology training. If even a fraction of the money spent on mandatory testing would be earmarked for teacher technology training, it would make a very real difference. Like the article says, teachers need to be the "guide on the side" rather than the "sage on the stage."
ReplyDeleteHello Keith,
ReplyDeleteI would point out that Frey pointed out that literacy 1.0 should not be set aside but or changed but added too, making 2.0. My concern is the same as Kristen's, the lack of training given to teachers to use the tools appropriately is a major concern. In my own building teachers are usually unwilling to spend their own time to figure out a new tech and how to use it or are unaware of how to use it most effectively.
I find it so frustrating when teachers are not using technology in the correct way. They may use it to assist in their teaching but not necessarily the students learning (does that make sense). There are teachers in my building use it to primarily remind themselves of what standards need to be taught that particular day. I feel that if the students are interacting with the technology themselves they are not benefiting from it. That is one of my personal goals this year that I am working on. I want to make sure that I am utilizing the technology in correct ways that benefit the students
ReplyDeleteMelanie, that occurs at my institution also. Sometimes I believe that technology is utilized in the classroom to take up time; time that could be used with group work, lecture or other activities. But instead there is an almost impractical utilization of equipment and programs just to be able to say that they were used by that instructor, by that class, in that subject matter; without the students benefitting from the experience any more than if they had been texting a friend.
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