Section 8 of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards lays out ways for technology to be employed in the classroom. Teachers from any subject can use these standards and apply them to their content area lesson. Students who are able to use technology for problem solving and project completetion will be assets to our ever-changing society. As Michael Lasusa, principal at Chatham High School, stated; districts, schools and educators HAVE to be interactive because students are so accustumed to this lifestyle. Students have vast amounts of information and media at their fingertips. To be able to engage students educators must “cut through the media to capture their attention”. Although educators might seem in competition with digital resources, the solution to the problem seems to be to work with the digital resources to invovle the student. I am amazed at the advancements such as smartboards, podcasts and LCD screens that exist at Chatham High School.
The video from Catalina Foothills School really got my attention. My content area is Earth Science so I was really excited to see the lessons Mr. Draper was using with his students. The fact that earth science is so hands-on is exactly the reason I got into the subject in the first place. Seeing geologic features first hand is so powerful in the learning process. This sort of hands-on experience is one area where technology might fall short. While students can access videos and pictures online, these images do not compare being able to pour water down a model stream and seeing its effects. However together, technology and hands-on experiences produce optimal learning. In Mr. Draper’s class students were able to take concepts from the classroom to the community.
When I am navigating the job market, a school’s technology resources will certainly be something I consider. Being provided with the correct tools can only improve the way we teach students. As a future educator who has exposed to the benefits of technology in a classroom, I will urge my school to invest in learning formats that will fit in with 21st century skills.
Chatham showed the hardware that are used in the classroom - Smartboards, projectors, etc. 21st Century Skills are about the students, getting them to create and navigate the content digitally on a global level. Having the tools alone will not be enough, knowing how to use them and providing students the opportunity to create will be the challenge.
ReplyDeleteCatie- Being in the Art field, I agree with the idea of having hands on experience. Going beyond the classroom and capturing the true essence of the content.
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