How do we as teachers challenge ourselves to leave our comfort zone and learn new practices that will benefits our students and our teaching practice? This was the question I was left with after reading Chapter 2. According to Malloy, Verock-O’Loughlin, Edwards, & Woolf, (2013) "beginning educators often teach as they were taught". This means, as new technologies develop that we were likely not privy to as students, teachers must take it upon themselves to become educated about the ways in which technology can work for our students and classes.
One of the ways I look forward to transforming my practice as a teacher is by making the transition from effectively using Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 learning tools. Currently, although I use Web 2.0 tools in my daily work, I still usually think of the computer as a place to access content knowledge rather than build content knowledge--Google is my best friend. In other words, technology is used as an info gathering tool that makes information easier to access. I would like to better utilise technology in the classroom to develop inquiry skills, analyse information and share ideas. When technology is used in these ways, students--intentionally guided by teachers--become the architects of their learning, with the potential to engage in a truly transformative educational experience.
In my blog last week, I brought up the question of "access", particularly for low income populations where funding for all manner of things--e.g. field trips, new equipment, good teachers, may be limited. This week, I was excited to read a blog about wearable technology--such as virtual reality headsets and smart watches--that can be integrated into the classroom. In schools where the budgets do not exist to sponsor in-person college visits for every student, a VR headset can allow students to take a virtual tour of a prospective school. These types of technological innovations, while potentially still expensive, can provide lower income students with experiences and insights not readily available without technology.
Questions
- How can we encourage teachers to shift from using Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 tools?
- How can we make truly innovative technologies, such as VR headsets, more available to lower income schools?
- How do we better utilise technology to encourage students to become better critical thinkers rather than using technology as a crutch where students become lazier thinkers?
Bibliography
Maloy, R., Verock-O’Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., Woolf, B. (2014). Transforming learning with new technologies. 2nd Ed. Pearson Publishing.
Roland, J. (2015, September 17). The benefits of integrating wearable technology in education [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://insights.samsung.com/2015/09/17/the-benefits-of-integrating-wearable-technology-in-education/
