Looking in to the crystal ball...

The video presentation this week left me with some negative feelings about the future! Information is doubling itself faster then most can keep up and the video made the past seem irrelevant. I prefer to take a wiser and more positive outlook for the future of education. When I was 10 years old, my mom spent her entire paycheck on the newest thing, a microwave! Yes, I know I am showing my age here but this was THE exciting new way to cook at the time. We went to several cooking classes where the chef assured us that the microwave was going to eradicate the oven and stove from the kitchen! Although the food was delicious, I was skeptical about the future of the microwave. When we look at what microwaves are used for now, this story even makes more of a point. Just because something is new and innovative, does not mean that everything used before it is irrelevant. We most go forward with this type of an idea in mind to be prude about our choices and firm in our resolve to do the best we can for our students concerning technology.

In a perfect world, I think it would be great for all classrooms to have a smart board and a set of laptops along with Internet access. These two pieces of hardware can make integrating technology easier and more efficient since modification of the classroom is not necessary and students can even share a laptop if the classroom numbers are large. Otherwise, the key to really integrating technology in the classroom is professional development to match the hardware. A student in our class said her district bought a large number of IPads. That is awesome but only if they pair it up with the proper training. It is irresponsible in numerous ways not to put these two things together hand in hand. I have seen this happen in the past and unfortunately some of the equipment then just sat gathering dust which was a shame mainly because the students were the one’s losing out. I did not become a teacher to see this type of thing happen and when it did, it made me angry! Also being a taxpayer and parent, I can see why it is so hard for a district and an administration to make the right decisions about what needs to be done for the whole of their reach. Choices need to be made strategically and carefully at the same time, which is not a magic trick!

Above and beyond the hardware, I think districts need to hire personnel whose job is nothing but developing technology for their teachers and students. You can have an IT person for fixing your printer but their job should be just that and not the other. Specific focus is needed, as the book and video this week show us, to make the best possible choices for or student’s future. Having a vision about the future is where this idea really starts but without the proper planning, hardware, software, training and personnel to properly address technology, we could be obsolete!