The last class of the summer term, how bittersweet it is...
I am glad that we got to talk to a set of teachers who have been through the MAC program. They were very informative and interesting speakers that had diverse teaching positions. It really opened my eyes to the various types of schools that could be part of my future. I enjoy the use of technology in the classroom, but I really enjoy the use of farms and goats in the classroom. That sounds amazing. I have never milked a goat, but I'm sure I will someday very soon.
The ways in which the teachers described the use of tech in the classrooms outlines a very important point. It is essential in this day and age to use technology and stress its importance to our students. In this day and age students must be typing, searching online, and problem solving with computers. One of the grew points that was brought up is that the job field is changing, and the jobs themselves are changing. The shift in jobs has brought us to an era where positions are filled by tech-savvy applicants that work with computers for the majority of their days. If a student is going to be ready for the "real world", they must be ready to handle business on a computer. Even if a student is not particularly fond of technology, they should be taught to have the basic skills and comprehension that most jobs will necessitate their understanding of computers.
The level of usage in the various classrooms differed a lot, this leads me to believe that I must do a large amount of planning activities that could be formatted in terms of a technological activity. I may not be able to use the smart board that day, for example. So I would have to alter my presentation of the material. I feel that we must be very flexible in our attempts to use tech in the classroom. I also think that we should use it whenever we can in order to orient them towards a more modern view of education and communication.
Viva la vida loca -Rick Ross ...or wait... Rick James?.. no, -Rick Riordan.
Thanks for the thoughtful takeaways.
ReplyDeleteI was glad, too, that we got to talk to some former MAC-ers. It's so interesting to hear about what they're doing now (and I really want to visit Catherine Ferguson and hang out with the goats). It was also great to hear their perspectives about technology as it relates to both the classroom and the job market.
ReplyDeleteI found the stories of the previous MAC-ers to be very interesting in regards to their own use of technology in the classroom. They were so varied! I was surprised to hear that some teachers have such little access to technology, even to the extent of not having text books, and other teachers have I-pads available for each student. When I was in Belize I taught Biology and Chemistry at a high school for a few weeks, and there we had old U.S. textbooks. I never thought I would hear about a school in the U.S. that didn't have text books for their students. I really liked your point about how technology literacy is necessary to support students to succeed in our society. How do you think we can combat the issue of disparity between schools?
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