Being old has its perks. You get to see things begin, change, and end. Some people have been lucky enough to see a millennia come and go during their lifetime, and these days, change seems to happen at an ever increasing rate.
My great-grandmother, a lifelong teacher, was born in 1895, and lived until 1990. She was born in an age of horse-drawn carriages, and died in the dawn of the age of computers. Though all of her time as a teacher was spent using chalk as the main teaching tool, she knew that the time was coming when that black and green screen on the computer would become one of the most valuable tools a teacher could have. At that time, I was one of the last people I knew to get a computer in my house, I couldn't type to save my life, and I had no idea what commands to type into the DOS system to make my computer do what I wanted. I could get into the typing program, do something, and print it out onto paper that had to be separated from the roll.
Years later, I got another computer. It was 2001, the year we were supposed to visit Jupiter. Or was it the year the computers were supposed to become non-defunct? Things weren't progressing in space the way we had all thought, but they weren't as bad as some had predicted, and what was happening on the ground was amazing. That new personal computer could hold more information than all the Apple computers in my art class from just 6 years earlier. It could access the internet, run multiple programs at once, and best of all, you didn't have to know how to command it to do something- you simply pointed and clicked. What more could you want? Oh yeah, I almost kept going without stopping: the internet. It was great; there was so much information out there, ready for you to find it, if you knew what you were looking for. There was even a search engine- Google- that allowed you to sift through all of the cached pages in your quest. If you were really lucky, you could find a forum, where you could reply to others' questions and comments, and if you spoke HTML, you get quite fancy. However, just like the old DOS- equipped computers, unless you knew what commands to type, you were pretty much lost in the realm of the internet. You could get there, sign some things while you were there, and leave. But what about making a real difference? What about the countless others who had something to offer, but just couldn't get their ideas on the Web? Their time was coming.
Today, the Web is alive, teaming with creativity, resources, and information alike; it has transcended itself. In 2004, the term "Web 2.0" resurfaced and took after it was described by Tom O'Reilly in his show. Here is part of his description:
Netscape framed "the web as platform" in terms of the old software paradigm: their flagship product was the web browser, a desktop application, and their strategy was to use their dominance in the browser market to establish a market for high-priced server products. Control over standards for displaying content and applications in the browser would, in theory, give Netscape the kind of market power enjoyed by Microsoft in the PC market. Much like the "horseless carriage" framed the automobile as an extension of the familiar, Netscape promoted a "webtop" to replace the desktop, and planned to populate that webtop with information updates and applets pushed to the webtop by information providers who would purchase Netscape servers. (O'Reilly, T. 2005)
Whatever the intent was at the time, however, the common person now reaps huge benefits from this new design. More services and resources seem to be offered for free than ever before, and many of these are more than ready to meet the demands of the average consumer. With all this technology literally in the hands of children, we have come to a time when the need for quality teaching and instruction through, with, and on these tools is imperative.
Let's start with the basics: instruction on how to use technology. Years ago, teachers could expect one or two students in their classroom to know as much as or more than themselves about certain pieces of technology. It was relatively easy for them to present themselves as an expert in the field, and the main focus in the classroom was on the mechanics of operation of such devices: turning on the computer, starting a program, printing your work, loading a disk, shutting down the computer. Today, students, even kindergartners, will laugh at such a prospect. My 3 year old nephew can grab a laptop, hook it up, turn it on, load the web, and begin watching the newest episode of his favorite cartoon in no time at all. So, what 'How-To' instruction is needed today? For the most part, only the newest, most up to date programs will need to be introduced. And chances are that, unlike that teacher in the 90s that had one or two students who would surpass his or her knowledge of the program, we'd better be prepared for nearly every student to know more about a brand new program than we do. Why? Because while we are translating this stuff, the children today have been speaking this language since they were toddlers; they are digital natives (Vanslyke, 2003).
With this in mind, what is the correct way to teach students in this digital age? First, we must prioritize. What is our mission as teachers? One of the premier models for educators today has got to be the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Through these, we are given 5 basic jobs to perform: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, and Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership (http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS). The ISTE NETS do not stop here, however. We are also given the standards with which we should hold our students to; we can use these to ensure we are giving them encouragement in the right directions. We must facilitate things like creativity, communication, problem solving, and digital citizenship in our instruction. These qualities are vital for success in the modern world (Stager, 2007).
It is easy to see, after reading through these standards, that the demands of education have changed. There was a time when students' creativity was broken, when schools tried hard to produce students who thought alike, worked alike, and retained as much data as possible. Today, we strive for creativity. We need schools that produce innovators, originality, students that routinely break away from conventional thinking. Are we back where we started, when Greek philosophers praised their students' unconventional thinking? Are schools finally realizing what many have believed all along: that we need more, not less, of those who can think outside the box?
Regardless of where this shift will take us, one thing is certain: at its head sits digital media (Merl, 2005). How, as educators, do we use this to our advantage? We know that regardless of the tools used, at the heart of every lesson is the instructor who designed it. Computers can't teach our students, at least not yet; they are simply tools, a means with which we can help convey our message. How can we use this view to our advantage? Simply, we must remember that it is not the tools, but the talent, that makes a lesson work. Just as the finest brush in the world can't create a masterpiece without the skilled hand of a real artist, the greatest computers, websites, and classrooms cannot facilitate guided learning without the proper instructor.
One tool for critiquing our arsenal that no teacher should be without is the LOTI framework (http://loticonnection.com/lotilevels.html). With this, one can assess their lessons, figuring out to what extent technology is being used in their lessons, and, more importantly, to what extent the technology is actually aiding the learning that is taking place. Is multimedia present in the lesson as a placeholder, or is it being used constructively to meet the needs of our learners? What type of learning is taking place? These questions can all be systematically tackled with the help of the LOTI framework.
Once we are sure we are on the right track, with our goals for our students and our lessons clear and in sight, we have to decide what tools we will implement in our classrooms. To say that a complete list of today's best tools would be a waste of time is an understatement; today's tools are constantly being upgraded, revised, and replaced. More relevant to include here would be ways to find tools and appraise them. The first, and most important, question we need to answer is: is it safe? There are some who would answer "no" to this question whenever the internet is brought up, but there are many ways to protect our students when they are online. More appropriately, however, we can teach them to arm themselves, going through checklists they should consider whenever they are visiting new sites or entering their information online. Checklists are available for anyone from our youngest students (http://www.fema.gov/kids/on_safety.htm) to teens (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm).
With this subject now tackled, it is time for us to consider where we will take our class on the web. One great resource guide can be found at http://weblogg-ed.com/, Will Richardson's own website (the renowned author of "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other powerful tools for classrooms"-Corwin Press, 2009), where many modern teachers have collaborated to form a list of some very good tools they have put to use in education. Of these, certain tools stand out that may stay in use for a while: blogs, where students can keep a journal online; Wikis, where an interactive, online classroom can be maintained; and Skype, where students can be put in contact with professionals, experts, authors, and other students around the world.
Even with all of the hype about the new, improved world of digital education, some of the best tools we as educators have at our disposal have to be our old, trusty standards. Of these, my favorite is still Bloom's Taxonomy, a simple (once you get to know it), straightforward approach to assessing our lesson designs (an example of Bloom's taxonomy can be found at http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm). With the ever-improving web, however, comes a multitude of new ways to use this tool, making it easier than ever to implement in our lessons. A simple search, for example, on "Bloom's taxonomy verbs" will take you to a multitude of sites that make it easier than ever for teachers to review their plans, figure out which levels they are working, and make adjustments as needed to hit the appropriate marks. The one I use regularly can be found here: http://officeport.com/edu/bloomq.htm.
All of these tools are wonderful, and make us feel empowered, but we must remember that this is not a case of "me against the world". We can use Web 2.0 to help us in the same way the original model was designed to: linking us to others. We can make connections to other like minded educators, and build our own web of human resources, or PLN (Personal Learning Network), using any one of the vast array of networking sites available (Twitter should come to mind, as should creating an RSS feed of your favorite bloggers). There is one catch, however: we must maintain it. Will Richardson notes in his blog that "Often educators understand the idea of developing a PLN but they are not consistent about maintaining it" (Richardson, 2009/blog post). It is not enough to start using such a device; we have to maintain relationships, build our reputation, and contribute to discussions and ideas.
When all is said and done, the classroom is still a place of learning. The students' success is our goal, and facilitating learning in the most effective way possible is our mission. If we succeed, we will have been a part of one of the greatest movements in education in the modern world. We have the opportunity to reach our students like never before, and we have the tools to turn out the largest number of creative lifetime learners the world has ever seen. There are many paths we can take to reach this goal, but they should all include the use of the most appropriate, up to date technologies we can get our hands on. How else can we better prepare our students for an ever changing tomorrow? We no longer have to wait until we get old to see major changes take place. The time is now, and we must change with it!
Bibliography
Richardson, Will. (Nov 4, 2009). Teachers as learners, part 32 [Web log message]. Retrieved 3/14/2010 from http://weblogg-ed.com/2009/teachers-as-learners-part-32/
O'Reilly, Tim. (2005-09-30). What Is Web 2.0? O'Reilly Network. Retrieved 3/14/2010 via Wikipedia: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html.
VanSlyke, Timothy. (May/June 2003). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Some Thoughts from the Generation Gap. Retrieved 3/14/2010, from The Technology Source Archives at the University of North Carolina: http://technologysource.org/article/digital_natives_digital_immigrants/
Stager, Gary. (June 2007). Refreshing the ISTE Technology Standards. Retrieved 3/14/2010, from Direct Administration: http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1186
Merl, Christina. (November 2005). Children and Digital Media. Retrieved 3/14/2010, from Shift: http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives/2005/11/children_and_digital_media.html
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