One of the ways to start comprehending technology is that it is always changing and always will be. Below i will explain barriers we face in technology usage today, teaching philosophies and hot to overcome a technology disconnect.
Barriers in technology as a teacher come in many ways, shapes and forms. Beginning with lack of classroom equipment which is the m=number one reason why technology is at a stance. Even thought the amount of technology equipment in K-12 schools has improved, we still fall behind compared to higher education schools. As a teacher, it would be more of a hassle to plan your curriculum, for example, when there isn't enough computers for each student. Other obstacles today are time limits, when I was in High School, we changed from "period" time slots to "blocks" which were each around 45 min. each for each class. This literally almost always only gave is time to review and just touch the surface of a new topic let alone have demonstrations or have hands on time on computers. Another common barrier is the teachers attitude toward technology. It has changed so quickly that some teachers rather not "waste"their time learning something new when what their teaching style has been working for the past years. A video summary can be viewed here.
Along these same lines goes different ways of teaching or teaching philosophies. In the book it is described as your ideas or assumptions about how to teach so students will learn as described in the class textbook. There are literally countless ways to teach, there is no right or wrong way but two of the main one that the rest stem from are teacher-centered or teaching as telling by an instructor; the other philosophy is student-centered teaching which is the opposite or also known as problem-based teaching by and for the students. Along with these two major philosophies are our components that go with each: The teachers role in each, the goal of learning, the range of student motivation and what the organization of the class is. To test your knowledge, here is a quick quiz just for fun!
Lastly, overcoming the digital disconnect is also an issue with understanding technology today. It is very common, even today, to heat teachers complain about learning new technology that is required for the new year, new curriculum, etc., A lot of times the technology in classrooms is so looked down upon by the teacher that it makes it boring to the student and just like another boring assignment. On the other hand, we as students who use our phone for literally everything are using technology all day, every day as seen here. As a teacher, your point of view can wither encourage or discourage this gap that separates us.
RESOURCES:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc
Photo credit to photographer on Google
Barriers to Integrating Technology - The Digital Librarian
(Barriers to Integrating Technology - The Digital Librarian)
https://sites.google.com/site/thedigitallibrarian/barriers-to-integrating-technology
https://sites.google.com/site/thedigitallibrarian/barriers-to-integrating-technology
A Time Traveler's Journey Through Education Technology
(A Time Traveler's Journey Through Education Technology)
http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/A-Time-Travelers-Journey-Through-Education-Technology.html
http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/A-Time-Travelers-Journey-Through-Education-Technology.html
The App Addicted Teen [infographic]
(Youth Specialties The App Addicted Teen infographic Comments)
http://youthspecialties.com/blog/the-app-addicted-teen-infographic/
http://youthspecialties.com/blog/the-app-addicted-teen-infographic/
Great selection of concepts and I appreciate your perspectives on them in both your reflective writing and your digital tool creations (BTW - you only need to do ONE web 2.0 tool per post - not per concept, but you need to try to embed them if embed code is provided as with Prezi and Piktochart). You did a great job in getting your thoughts across with those creative tools.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a little confused with your resources. - don't see an image (and attributing to Google is WAY too broad - remember you need to use CC or public domain licensed photos only) and though there are attributions to various web sources, they are not in APA format....and you will always want to give credit to yourself for your own creations. The tutorials and information 'how tos' are on the wiki and assignment details.