Standard #5 is concerned with the teacher’s role as a lifelong learner, specifically when it comes to technology. Also, teachers should be proactive about educating themselves about the latest and greatest technological breakthroughs. Teachers should voluntarily seek new and innovative ways to weave technology into their lessons. If a teacher learned how to use a digital camera to cover a unit on animals, that teacher should not be content to still be doing the same lessons in the same manner five years later. Teachers need to be constantly building upon their knowledge of technology. When it comes to technology in the classroom, teachers need to be “go getters.”
Where do I fall in standard 5? I am actually asking myself that question as I write this, because there is a continental divide between where I ideally would be and where I am limited to being due to technology. That was a little “rambly” and confusing, so let me explain. Alright, as you – and perhaps everyone south of the Mason-Dixon line – know technology is a touchy subject for me this year. It has severely raised my level of frustration and whittled away hours and days of my life. If I was uninhibited by the actual technology and its performance, then I would be very satisfied with my use of technology. I am definitely excited about learning new and improved ways of doing things with technology to grab the class’s interest and educate. It is just disappointing to spend a few hours on an awesome Smartboard lesson, only to have it not work when you need it to. I am being honest here, but it is coming across as whining, so I think I will move on….
Thanks to this class, I feel like I have really learned a lot of great ways to put technology in the classroom. I am really psyched about making more webquests. I really enjoyed creating mine and I got a ton of great ideas for future webquests that I’d like to make, too. In closing, I definitely recognize the value and benefits of utilizing technology in the classroom. But, I also believe firmly that there is nothing wrong with teaching “old-school” style. Ideally, I believe there needs to be a marriage of the two. If you use both methods fairly equally, you are not set up for disappointment when the piece technology equipment you were counting on isn’t up to par.
