10 Major Technology Trends in Education - Chris Riedel 02/13/14
http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/02/03/10-major-technology-trends-in-education.aspx
This article highlights trends were are now seeing as educators. More and more students have mobile devices and are connected. Video carries a great deal of classroom content through both teachers and students. Teachers and students are using different tools for different tasks instead of relying on the same tools (Microsoft Word or PowerPoint) for almost everything. Students are gradually paying more attention to their digital footprint. Online learning is up. Gaming is up. Social media is up. The gender gap is down.
We need to be aware of trending technology so we can recognize its use and employ it to educate our students. We should strive to meet them where they are. I find the access students now have to be important because it allows rapid feedback through applications like Socrative. Also, the incorporation of accessible videos is such a big step beyond reel-to-reel movies and filmstrips from the past. Students can watch and re-watch at their own pace.
I am not yet convinced about social media. The microblogging of Twitter is something to which I need to devote more time. One of our administrators talks about how it gives bites of information about technology so he stays abreast of what's available. It is up to the user to research further. I do agree that students are becoming more aware of how the Internet tracks their use. However, there is a long way to go in them recognizing what their digital footprint means for their future. As teachers, we should consistently remind them of how permanent their online interactions will be. Additionally, we need to recognize the influenence of gaming. Can we harness its appeal in our classrooms?
In my district we continue to build our device library. The article talks about how ubiquitous access is becoming for students, but it's still not there. I'm not sure it ever will be. There are still the Robertson's (of Duck Dynasty fame) that choose to not use the Internet.
I completely agree that students need to understand about their digital footprint. It is better, probably then even a few years ago, but most of them don't worry about how it affects their careers because they are no where near ready to worry about their careers. It is vital to explain to these kids that what they choose to put on the internet today, will come back to haunt them in the future.
ReplyDeleteI tend to feel that the Robertson's of the world are a dwindling breed. I know there will be internet hold outs, but that is going to become harder and harder to do as more of everyone's life is online. As teachers we need to try and prepare the kids for a world on the internet.
Come to think of it, I don't hear people saying the Internet is just a fad anymore.
ReplyDeleteCould be Alex is correct in his comments. Although, I still have relatives who do not have computers, Internet, or smart phones.....How many of them are still out there?
I like the comment about meeting students where they are with technology. The article I posted talked about the same thing but in regards to professional development of teachers. However in the professional development they used mentors and small groups to make this possible. Sometimes in the classroom setting it seems like that is harder to do with only one of me. Maybe that is where using some of your other students as tech experts would come in to play.
ReplyDeleteYour article connects to the one I posted in regards to the digital footprint. I find it very interesting that on Facebook, some who are part of the professional educational community now, still have photos and posts which are not too complimentary. Most don't know enough about privacy and restricting social media, and their online persona may be very different from who they truly are today as a mature professional adult. If we expect students to use the tool, we need to provide some education on the impact of using a public forum.
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