Welcome to my EdTechsploration Blog!!
Nov. 15, 2013
Welcome to my blog on educational technology! I will use these pages to feature discussions on the role of technology in education, share creative and innovative examples and present reviews and comments on tools I find most valuable to educators.
There is no question that technology is transforming the nature of education. From simple web quests to fully virtual K-12 schools, digital tools are influencing the learning process. The exponential growth shows no signs of abating, especially now that the Common Core Standards include technology-based goals and mandated computerized testing in the schools. The digital sand in which to bury our heads is being rapidly deleted!
This comes with mixed reviews: I cringe as I witness face-to-face time being replaced by rote computerized drilling. But there are very powerful and transformative tools out there as well that offer previously unimaginable experiences and interactive capabilities for our students: Interactive maps, data visualization, simulations, extensive online primary sources. A student's essay assignment can be transformed from a seemingly meaningless exercise into a powerful blog or website shared with millions of people. Students are able to collaborate on projects with classmates or strangers halfway across the globe negotiating cultural perspectives as they interact. The possibilities now open to teachers in all disciplines are endless.
In addition to sharing cool tools, I also want to use this space to examine the many serious questions and issues that we as educators face. Top among these are the struggle for equity of access to the digital realm that increasingly plays a critical role in our students' future. The “digital divide” is real, and as technology further empowers students in families and schools awash in resources, those without such privilege watch as the gap widens.
Other issues must be addressed: How can we teach our students to navigate digital media with a critical eye? How can we leverage the digital resources to empower students and transform our classrooms? What must we do to protect our students’ security and privacy as we send them to explore the internet? How will the emergence of online education impact the high-school setting? What about the flipped classroom - can it really transform our schools? How do teachers acquire the skills needed to develop and implement curricula that incorporate these digital wonders? And with the mind-boggling pace of technological transformation, a plethora of new questions will surface that we can’t even imagine now.
There is no question that technology is transforming the nature of education. From simple web quests to fully virtual K-12 schools, digital tools are influencing the learning process. The exponential growth shows no signs of abating, especially now that the Common Core Standards include technology-based goals and mandated computerized testing in the schools. The digital sand in which to bury our heads is being rapidly deleted!
This comes with mixed reviews: I cringe as I witness face-to-face time being replaced by rote computerized drilling. But there are very powerful and transformative tools out there as well that offer previously unimaginable experiences and interactive capabilities for our students: Interactive maps, data visualization, simulations, extensive online primary sources. A student's essay assignment can be transformed from a seemingly meaningless exercise into a powerful blog or website shared with millions of people. Students are able to collaborate on projects with classmates or strangers halfway across the globe negotiating cultural perspectives as they interact. The possibilities now open to teachers in all disciplines are endless.
In addition to sharing cool tools, I also want to use this space to examine the many serious questions and issues that we as educators face. Top among these are the struggle for equity of access to the digital realm that increasingly plays a critical role in our students' future. The “digital divide” is real, and as technology further empowers students in families and schools awash in resources, those without such privilege watch as the gap widens.
Other issues must be addressed: How can we teach our students to navigate digital media with a critical eye? How can we leverage the digital resources to empower students and transform our classrooms? What must we do to protect our students’ security and privacy as we send them to explore the internet? How will the emergence of online education impact the high-school setting? What about the flipped classroom - can it really transform our schools? How do teachers acquire the skills needed to develop and implement curricula that incorporate these digital wonders? And with the mind-boggling pace of technological transformation, a plethora of new questions will surface that we can’t even imagine now.