Reflective Blog #2

After reading and thinking about the term "educational technology" this week, I am starting to sense a shift in my own perception of what this is. In my experience, I have always seen technology as a supplement to our curriculum, content, and education. It is kind of like cool "toys" that can make learning more fun for students and teaching easier for teachers, but we could still function without it. I am realizing that this peception of educational technology is wrong. It relies on the assumption that the core of our curriculum and education remains the same and we just "liven" it up by adding a technology component. However, I am realizing, especially after watching the videos on the class blog, that educational technology is not a supplement to the curriculum, but an integral component of the curriculum. I think many teachers are unwilling to change what they teach and how they teach it, but because of the way our world is changing, it is imperative that we radically shift what we teach and how. Technolgy is not optional. It is necessary for our students to function in the 21st century. The way we learn, apply, and create is drastically different than in past generations, so we cannot teach on the same platform, even with new tools. We have to change the platform as well as the tools. It is very hard for many teachers to wrap their heads around this. After all, it is not how we learned as students and it is not how we were taught to be teachers and it is not how we have taught our own students. We have to rewire our brains as well as our classrooms! What a challenge to get the millions of teachers in America on board with this concept!!

How are we doing so far? I think this just depends on your location and district and school. I know there are some schools out there who are doing a phenomenal job making the "shift." However, other schools, like the one I teach in most definitely are NOT. So many factors go into whether the "shift" transition can happen as we need it to. I definitely do not feel my school is anywhere remotely close to where we need to be in preparing our students for the 21st century. However, I know there are schools that are moving in the right direction.