Teachers and students are drawn towards the use of technology in the classroom for many reasons. Technology helps things run more efficiently, so teachers will often use technology to organize, communicate, and build lesson plans for the class. Students can also be influenced to use technology because it makes things more fun!
The International Society for Technology in Education, or ISTE is an organization that promotes the use of technology in the education world. They provide a number of useful resources for teachers and students, including research journals, annual conferences, and webinars. ISTE has created and published a set of standards for technology under the following categories: teachers, students, educational leaders, technology coaches, and computer science educators. One standard that stood out particularly meaningful to me, was "Designer." This standard checks that teachers can use technology to personalize the learning experience and foster a creative environment that promotes deep learning. I think this skill is very helpful for a teacher because it encourages them to create fun interactive lesson plans that keep their students engaged. One standard that seems outside my current skill check would be "Analyst." This standard checks that teachers can understand and use data from the classroom to form assessments and achieve student learning goals through the use of technology. This is a very important standard all teachers should meet, and I hope to one day learn the correct skills to meet the "Analyst" standard.
I agree with the label "digital native" when referring to the younger generation of technology advanced kids. Children born in the last 20 years are accustomed to being around technology from such a young age, that the skills come very easily to them. Whereas older generations, or digital immigrants, often have a much harder time developing these new technology skills. Digital natives have grown up surrounded by technology every day so it comes very easily to them, but digital immigrants are already full grown and must learn to understand the new technology in order to succeed in a technology advanced world. I anticipate when I become a teacher, to also feel a technology gap between myself and my students. Technology is constantly changing and advancing, and as a teacher, I'm sure I will need to learn the new ways in order to keep up with my students.
The International Society for Technology in Education, or ISTE is an organization that promotes the use of technology in the education world. They provide a number of useful resources for teachers and students, including research journals, annual conferences, and webinars. ISTE has created and published a set of standards for technology under the following categories: teachers, students, educational leaders, technology coaches, and computer science educators. One standard that stood out particularly meaningful to me, was "Designer." This standard checks that teachers can use technology to personalize the learning experience and foster a creative environment that promotes deep learning. I think this skill is very helpful for a teacher because it encourages them to create fun interactive lesson plans that keep their students engaged. One standard that seems outside my current skill check would be "Analyst." This standard checks that teachers can understand and use data from the classroom to form assessments and achieve student learning goals through the use of technology. This is a very important standard all teachers should meet, and I hope to one day learn the correct skills to meet the "Analyst" standard.
I agree with the label "digital native" when referring to the younger generation of technology advanced kids. Children born in the last 20 years are accustomed to being around technology from such a young age, that the skills come very easily to them. Whereas older generations, or digital immigrants, often have a much harder time developing these new technology skills. Digital natives have grown up surrounded by technology every day so it comes very easily to them, but digital immigrants are already full grown and must learn to understand the new technology in order to succeed in a technology advanced world. I anticipate when I become a teacher, to also feel a technology gap between myself and my students. Technology is constantly changing and advancing, and as a teacher, I'm sure I will need to learn the new ways in order to keep up with my students.
Yes, that's true that there is a tech gap between generation. However, when you become a teacher, you shouldn't just let the gap lie there. Instead, why not closing the gap by exploring the new techs and being a empowered learner as the standards suggests. Learning is a life-long process.
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