In order to answer this question one must be able to experience it in a classroom. I can't say I've had the opportunity to do this. I've been in and out of classrooms but none that's been my own. I do believe teachers teach what is most convenient for them.
Teachers are given requirements and standards they are to teach. Sometimes teaching technology is the requirement of the computer teacher. Teachers do what they can in oder to integrate technology in the classroom. In some schools it is required for students to spend 30 minutes daily using a reading and math program.
I have one question in regards to this question though, how are we as teachers supposed to prepare students for the future if technology continues to evolve? Programs continue to update, versions change, and models get make overs. By the time students are able to go out into the real world things will be so much different than what they experienced in the classroom, they'll have to re-teach themselves everything again (this is what I had to do!).
Thankfully students are surrounded by technology that having to adapt to the newer models and re-teach themselves won't be that big of a deal.
I enjoyed reading your post! I do agree that you need to experience it in a classroom to truly understand what it means to teach to convenience. Many teachers do it and don't even realize it. To answer your question, " How are we as teachers supposed to prepare students for the future if technology continues to evolve?", I believe that students continue to learn as things change. You may teach something in your classroom one year, and then the following year there could be a newer version out and then it would be the students' teacher they have then to update them and teach the new technology. That being said, we as teachers, need to constantly be learning new technology ourselves. If we stay up to date, we can give our students' the best that we have. That is the problem with many teachers now a days. They are unwilling to learn new things and implement them into their classroom because it is intimidating. However, things are changing every day. Technology today is much different than it was 10.. 15.. 20 years ago. It will be even more advanced in another 10 years.
ReplyDeleteTiffany
I really like the fact that we both had similar questions such as yours “how are we as teachers supposed to prepare students for the future if technology continues to evolve?” You were bold enough to even bring it up unlike me. As a Curriculum and Instruction MA major, I’ve learn that the classroom cannot keep up with the market. This is true for jobs and it’s true for technology. Formal education is a slow somewhat drawn out process that that takes time for students to gasp and become proficient on a certain topic in ordinance with the set education standards.
ReplyDeleteTechnology on the other hand is a fast and evolving process that’s constantly changing and by the time we can master one concept of technology there is a total new product out that makes the earlier one obsolete. Examples would be two-way messengers, beepers, overhead projectors, typewriters, and pretty soon face-to-face teaching in its natural form maybe a thing of the past.
However the only way to combat this is not to teach and focus solely on what’s present or try to predict what’s to come. As educators were have to prepare students by making them high-level critical thinkers, problem-solvers and willing to be innovative and learn outside of the box.