In the Eyes of an Optimist...

Recently for my EME 5050 Technology course, our professor provided us with a link to what I can only describe as an eye opening, mind blowing 7 minutes and 38 seconds of where we as a people started, stand currently, and are progressing towards with regards to the realm of technology. The video, entitled Iowa: Did you Know? was a compilation of data and information pertaining to how we, as a society, are exposed to countless forms of technology each and every day through IPADs, Iphones, twitter, face book, flicker; the list goes on and on. Millions of people have access to these modes of communication, but as the video showed, there are still so many areas that lack such accessibility; case in point, the field of education. According to the video, “we as a nation spend less on school technology than we did a decade ago. In 1998 we spent $48 million towards education. In 2008, we spent $42 million.” This statistic, along with several others from the video, were unsettling as an educator to take in. Having been in the classroom, I have seen first hand teachers doing all they can with what little technology they have. They model every day the creative thinking and problem solving skills, in which they try to teach their students, by the ways in which they are incorporating the technology that they do have into their lessons, all in efforts to provide the most for their students. This brings me to the question we were asked upon completion of viewing this video. The question comes from Dr. McLeod’s blog and asks, “Are we doing what is best for our students or are we doing what is most convenient for us?”

Today teachers are given the task to teach and prepare students for jobs that have yet to even be created. This may be daunting for many to take in at first. Nevertheless, it is the challenge that we, as educators, face every day head on, and the reason why we were drawn to this profession. We meet this challenge with a strong sense of commitment, dedication and optimism that we can, and will, do everything in our power to provide our students with the best learning environment possible, and provide them with the tools that they will need in order to be successful in these “yet to be determined” jobs. With that said, I feel that it is evident that a teacher’s first frame of mind involves doing what is best for the student.

For some, like myself, technology can be somewhat of a foreign concept. The basics? I have them down pact. Typing? I can do it with my eyes closed. Create web casts and blogs? Ok, now we are starting to enter into uncharted territory. I will admit, the unknown aspects of technology make me nervous, and it would be extremely convenient for me to stick to what I know and only that. But I can tell you this here and now, that is something I will never let myself do. If I find myself all of the sudden comfortable and content, then something needs to change. As another one of my professors recently stated, “If you do not come across difficulties in the things you are doing, you are obviously not trying anything new.” Sticking to what we’ve always done will never challenge us, and never enable our minds to learn something new. As A. Mercer stated in his blog back in 2007, “Sometimes we have to try something new, different and difficult. We ask our kids to do this, why can’t we?”

From what I have seen from fellow teachers and fellow education majors, we are taking the stress that comes with the lack of resources in the classroom and turning that stress into energy and creativity. For me, it is all about seizing every opportunity that comes our way, and utilizing everything we are given. Unfortunately, we may not have the resources and access that we wish, and need to have, in order to prepare our students for the future. Even more unfortunate the fact that this may not change for some time given the state our education system today, but let’s not dwell on this fact. Let’s not let this be the deciding factor on how we approach our students. Now I know this can be a lot easier said than done sometimes. I know I don’t have much experience in schools that are severely short on technology, and may be speaking from an off place. I am an optimist at heart, and try my hardest to view everything with a “glass half full” mentality. I look at this course as an extremely fortunate opportunity for us to share all of our experiences and ideas, and learn from one another like we have been so far. We have the chance to focus and brainstorm ways in which we can continually change and alter our use of the equipment we do have in order to get the absolute most out of it. As the text book, Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom states, “working together, we can equip students with the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful.”(Shelly, Gunter & Gunter 2010). It is clear to see from all that teachers do on a daily basis that we want nothing more than to do what benefits our students, and provide them with the best.

We may not have all the resources we would like, but we mustn’t forget that we do have the most valuable resource; the minds of our students. Let’s not forget that the first computer was not created and thought of from the modeling another computer (because at that time there were no other computers), but rather from the creativity and problem solving skills of one individual. While we may not have all the technology that we would like right now, we do have the means of continuing to develop and cultivate those creative and problem solving skills of our students. More technological resources in the classroom will come (again, this may be the optimist in me speaking), but in the meantime as long as we continually seek out professional development opportunities to learn new uses for the equipment we do have, provide our students with opportunities to advance their creativity and problem solving skills, and always pick challenges over convenience, then I think we’ll be ok.

Citation:

Fisch, K., & McLeod, S., (2011) Iowa: Did you know? Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1JyLYphevc&feature=player_embedded#!

McLeod, S., (2007) Well? What's your answer? dangerously!irrelevant Retrieved from http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2007/05/well_whats_your.html

Shelly, G., Gunter, G., Randolph, G., (2010) Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. Course Technology, 6th ed. pg 13

There's a first for everything...so here's to my first blog!

Hello Everyone,

This is my first official blog...ever! I am looking forward to sharing with you all that I encounter this semester, and all that I will learn from my fellow educators throughout this course. Here's to a great year!