We've Got The Technology - What Now?
Step back and think this through...
If technology is becoming obsolete and unused before it is ever taught how to be used most effectively, what else has also fallen off the wagon?
Malik (2018) states that in order "to cope with these run-away changes we need to prepare workforce with the skills to handle a range of electronic technologies that characterize this digital era" (p. 9). The urgency for education to equip citizens with an approach where they are able to think critically and creatively now faces our students.
Will there be set-backs or conflicts that ultimately prevent this growth?
This is where planning from the LEAs is able to be more constructive. Each school and its system could have socio-economic or other political settings that prevent technology from being woven into the daily lessons; however, looking further at the school's Continuous Improvement Plan or Technology Plan could help highlight how to best implement small changes with great impact over time (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017, p. 4).
Even though technology seems to change or even become obsolete quickly, the fact is that education has made slight changes to its curriculum to incorporate such updates. Malik (2018) stated that "society is changing at an alarmingly accelerating pace, but schools remain stuck with structures that took place in the 19th Century" (p. 2). Schools teach many course-appropriate concepts; however, they also teach already obsolete skills that are technologically sound. Perhaps, by aligning technology more consistently throughout, the curriculum will enable options for students to choose varying levels of digital education even earlier in their learning experiences - like learning a new speaking language - the earlier you begin learning, the easier it is!
As educators, we should constantly remind one another that our goal should be to focus students on being able to engage in our content and experiences in order to better prepare them for being able to compete regionally, and even globally. When I consider what digital resources the students have to engage with the content at the high school level, I only readily recalled a few - most being Math related, like Kahoot! and Socratic.
So, while adding information to this blog, I searched the Apple App Store for its free top 10 educational apps. The information I found is listed numerically below:
These apps are functional for what they offer; however, are they going to keep teenagers engaged in learning? The math apps shown are those that assist with finding answers. If the student wants to learn how to do it, they have to pay for the app. That can cost anywhere from $4.99 to $24.99 with these listed above. Add in the possibility that the infrastructure does not allow any/all of these apps being used on school grounds, and there is a disconnect between what is useful to students versus what we might recommend them use. Personally, I would like to see textbooks offer an app where they work out the problems for the students, or give them various options to attain more information regarding topics and methods.
Technology is ever-changing. Educators must acknowledge that we must do our due diligence to explore all possibilities incorporating strategies and methods that not only reach our students, but are effective in content and resources building our students’ to compete globally.
References
Frazier, M. &
Hearrington, D. (2017). The Technology Coordinator’s (Third Edition) Handbook.
Portland, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.
Malik, R. S. (2018). Educational
Challenges In 21st Century and Sustainable Development. Journal of
Sustainable Development Education and Research, 2(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.17509/jsder.v2i1.12266
Top free iPhone Education apps on the
App Store - Apple (US).
(2023). App Store. https://apps.apple.com/us/charts/iphone/education-apps/6017?chart=top-free
Erin,
ReplyDeleteI agree that technology must be properly taught and introduced in order to be an effective tool for student learning. In The Technology Coordinator’s Handbook, Frazier and Hearrington reference the Technology Coordinator Issues Model (TCIM). The TCIM divides the job of a technology coordinator (TC) into 5 areas. One of these 5 areas focuses on “the integration of technology into the classroom to enhance and enrich the learning process” (p.8). As you know, TC’s have to also make sure teachers actually feel comfortable using the technology they are asking them to integrate. According to Dikmen and Demirer, “technological knowledge alone should not be regarded as adequate knowledge for teachers’ technology integration . . . in-service training should be organized and more practical training should be given to teachers” (2022, p.410). All too often teachers simply substitute traditional instruction with technology and the tech doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Sheninger talks about how important it is for technology to elevate instruction in such a way that students are able to understand the content better than they could without the use of that technology (2019).
Resources
Dikmen, C. H., & Demirer, V. (2022). The role of technological pedagogical content knowledge and social cognitive variables in teachers’ technology integration behaviors. Participatory Educational Research, 9(2), 398–415.
Frazier, M. & Hearrington, D. (2017). The technology coordinator’s handbook. (3rd edition). International Society for Technology in Education.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Erin, amazing job! This post hits on all the frustrations I encounter with my school and district. I believe we lack professional development for educational strategies for integration technology into daily lessons. Moreover, our technology coordinators' job description does not fit that of an ed tech coach. For proper integration to happen, I believe an action plan should be put in place with a laser focus on integration of technology into education.
ReplyDeleteBetween apps that give students the answers and ai ChatBots who can now write papers for students. Educators are going to have to completely re-think the way we teach. We need to strive to teach the students to be able to think and work through items themselves, but we also need to allow them some ability to use the tools they have available. I block many apps such as Brainly, ChatGPT, Quizlet (they have the entire courses from edumentum available as "flash cards"). The kids will spend 10 minutes searching for direct answer on one of these sites, when it would have only taken them 2-3 minutes to find the answer from their actual course. I am not sure where the proper balance will fall.
ReplyDelete