Blog Post #3

My Peer Editing Experience

My peer editing experience was a good test of how well I paid attention to Paige's post. The positive things about my peer editing experience were that I was able to make it through my classmates post and hopefully help them with future posts. I believe I was clear in what I said but I was a little confused on my peers stand on the overall subject. Unfortunately, there were a lot of spelling and grammatical errors that I really didn't expect to see at this level.

I decided to offer most of my suggestions privately because there were a lot of errors in my peers post and I didn't want them to be too embarrassed. I also chose to go this route because I believe I would want someone to do the same for me and give me a chance to correct those errors. Yes, I know these posts are public and some things cannot be erased. But, if we can help someone out, let's do them a favor so they can do their best and become better educators without embarrassing them.

"It's Not About The Technology"

Kelly makes several key points when she mentions how much we need technology. She first mentions that teachers must be learners and that is totally true. Her statement "Teachers today must be perpetual learners who are invested in their professions." reminds us that in every profession if you want to stay successful, you must keep up to date with what is going on. I worked in the marketing and advertising industry for 4 years and if we were not aware of all of the changing trends, my company would be out of business. Why should teachers be any different? We must remain aware of our surroundings and be sure we are preparing our students for a solid future.

Kelly also states "Learning will not look the same to all students or all teachers, but it must be the goal". Based on some studies and research about Sir Ken Robinson, I believe he was referring to teaching and learning this way also. He mentioned that their needed to be creativity in the classroom. This means that the way people learn will be different and creative. I have stated it before and continue to believe that the creativity that is needed starts with the teacher. It is from here that the students learn and accept that creativity in learning and teaching is OK. Students are then more apt to try new things to better understand the material.

Kelly mentions one very important fact at the end of her blog post. She states that "...it really is not about the technology" and I don't think you could have said it any better. Yes, the technology makes a difference but truthfully it is not about the technology itself, it is more about the user of the technology. If teachers and students are able to use the technology to help facilitate learning, we all succeed. It doesn't matter what sites they go to, what they read, as long as they are able to explore their interest. People will take what they like and use it to their advantage. With students this means that if they can find something on the computer to help them learn, they will use it and be better learners because of it.

Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Long behold, we have come to the debate of the times. The trivial question of: Is it ok for a teacher to be technologically illiterate? can and probably will be debated for several more years to come.  Karl Fisch made it resounding clear that he does not believe that it is ok for a teacher to be technologically illiterate.  While I mostly agree with this statement, who's to say that what we believe is fact and what must be.  Karl states in his post "Headteachers and Principals who have staff who are technologically-illiterate should be held to account." meaning that if their staff doesn't know how to use technology it will be bad for the end user, the student. I don't necessarily agree with this. I believe that the head teachers and principals should be accountable for their staff if the students aren't learning. Our overall goal as teachers is to make sure our students learn the material. Whether they use technology or not, their students can still be successful and that is what should really "hold water". As leaders of other teachers we should be encouraging our staff to seek out resources to help them be better teachers but if the students are learning and can demonstrate that they are, why does it matter if the teacher isn't technologically literate. The reason why I don't believe that it is ok for a teacher to be technologically illiterate is because I don't believe they are able to be effective teachers and be technologically illiterate.

Karl brings up a scenario where a parent gives an excuse for their inadequacies in their children. He mentions some parents would say "I was never any good at math either" or in a comment left for this post by Terry Sale she states that adults would say "I don't read" in the same way they would "say I don't smoke". He relates that these excuses as being the same as a teacher saying "I don't really get computers" and it being ok. It is not ok if the students' ability to learn is hindered by the teacher's ignorance and the teacher chooses to use this excuse as a reason not to help the student learn. As teachers, we are going to have to use whatever tools are available to make sure our students can learn the material. Does this mean we have to use technology? No, but it does mean that we need to be resourceful and creative in our approaches to teaching.

Terry and Karl go back and forth about his post, but I believe both have very good points. I believe that Karl and Terry are stating these facts in their comments. Karl insists on pointing out that without technology, educators are really unable to perform their jobs successfully (that is - ensuring the students are learning the most important life skills). Terry states that it is possible but it is also easier with technology although that doesn't preclude a teacher to being technologically literate to be successful. I believe that a teacher should be technologically literate for if no one else, their own sake and so they are not left behind in this ever-changing world. Regardless of whether or not you are successful at being a good teacher and your students learn anything, it is all about the students. I believe they should both decide to make sure the ultimate focus is therefore on the students and not about whether or not teachers should be technologically literate. The overwhelming question will be answered in the future as we realize what students are and are not able to do. I just hope we figure it out before it is too late.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

As I go to Gary's social media count page and watch the numbers jump exponentially in almost every category, I cannot help but think about other things that are going on in the world. If we had a count for every plant the bloomed every second, or every insect that was killed, or other things that we cannot monitor even with technology, then I would be amazed. We are talking about billions of people in the world and although these numbers are moving at extremely fast rates, just think about everything else that is going on that no one really pays attention to. Every second of every day brings about exponential monumental change and technology is no different. I expect these changes to occur and am thus not that surprised by the numbers.



I must admit, these changes will have a definite impact on my career. Not because people are using technology all of the time, but because I cannot tell you what will be available for my students a year from now or even 2 years from now. I know what is going on now (today) but if things continue to change at the rate that they are, it could be possible that classrooms could become totally electronic and there may become no need for teachers. Yes, this is a long shot but hey, it could happen. I truly believe that no matter how much information is on the web, the connections that are made in a classroom and the social interactions students get in the classroom is worth the time invested there. A computer can provide the information to you but it is nothing like someone taking the time to sit down with you and explain to you some shortcuts that will make something that much easier for you.

A Vision of Students Today

This video is interesting but similar to what I feel like as a student in big lecture halls. The professors don't seem to mind what happens with the students as long as they make sure they meet their quota and enough students pass the class. Or do they care? Do tenured professors really worry about what you do and don't learn? Are they aware and do they mind that students are tweeting, writing emails, and are on Facebook during their lectures? As a student I would think that professors don't care as long as they are covering all of the material they need to cover. This is unfortunate because they are supposed to be shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

As a teacher, I look at this video and think about what I should do to make sure my classroom isn't like this. First and ultimately most important, I have never agreed with lecture halls and will never subject my students to this environment. How can I expect to connect with each student and give them a reason to come to my class if I don't even know when they are and are not there? I believe most college professors are more concerned about how much they are getting paid instead of worrying about which students learned. I began college in 1997 at Michigan State University and was taught more in my tutoring sessions than I was in the large lecture halls. While, I didn't have as much technology to keep me busy as I do today, I don't want my future students to say the same thing I just said. As an educator, we are responsible for the wealth and well-being of our students. All of the social media that is telling us that we have not been doing a good job (like the video); we need to pay close attention to. Our students are the people that will run the world when we get older. What type of world will that be?