Musings on my journey: Technology and its impact

 

Martin Luther King jr. famously stated, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." As an educator, I have the distinct privilege of harnessing the students' skills who come under my charge. As technology continues to impact the world around us significantly, we must equip students with skills that will allow them to garner success in this current environment. Technology has impacted every facet of our lives, yet many educators continue to struggle to integrate technology into their classroom and instructional practices successfully. Throughout this paper, I will discuss my journey through the course Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society and how it has impacted my perspective and practice related to the integration of technology in my learning environment. 

Engaging in this course helped me realize how unlearned I was as it relates to the integration of technology in education. Before the pandemic, laptops or radios were the only forms of technology used in my classroom to play videos for students or facilitate Spanish listening exercises. I realized quickly that despite my interaction with Google Classroom over the past year, there was so much I had to learn to utilize this web 2.0 tool in my learning environment effectively. There were many resources available throughout the course that allowed me to garner knowledge relevant to my practice. One notable resource was the article by instructional technologist Will Deyamport. Deyamport (2019) provided enlightenment on the need to move beyond the introduction of technological hardware within the classroom meant to change the medium for presenting content simply. He iterated the importance of preparing students for college and career by focusing on students' strengths, interests, and learning styles and teaching them how to navigate these in an online space (Deyamport, 2019). Such a move will allow teachers to harness each student's skills based on their strengths and interests to prepare them better to function and succeed in college and beyond.

In Richardson (2015), Wiseman (2014) tells of the need for teachers to live and work perpetually on a learning curve. It is a call for educators to be learners first, specifically related to the use of the technological resources being made available in education today. I can indeed say that I have spent the past eight weeks on a "perpetual learning curve." The discussions and assignments challenged me to learn content and practically apply the knowledge garnered through the various readings. Despite my desire to shy away from using tools such as Twitter and blogs, I found that once I mastered the basics, I wanted to learn more. I found myself engaging in personal research and excited about the possibilities these tools presented for my learning environment. The course activities served as a reminder that success often lies on the other side of my fears, and I hope to pass this knowledge on to my teachers as we all work towards transforming our learning community. 

For a long time, I stood on the peripherals of the technological paradigm shift that has been taking place in education. I was hesitant to delve wholly into this transition because I felt unprepared and ill-equipped. As a Spanish teacher, I also failed to see how I could have integrated technology into my classroom beyond the traditional attempts (using radio and laptop by the teacher) already made. However, this course has completely upended the perspectives I once held in regards to technology integration. Writers such as Stauffer (2020) reminded me of the importance of integrating technology across the curriculum. The 21st-century world is vastly different from the one in which my parents or I grew up. As technology continues to evolve, educators must engage students in activities that will help them develop the 21st-century skills needed to find success in this ever-changing technological era (Stauffer, 2020). Students can no longer be expected only to regurgitate information towards the successful navigation of standardized tests. They must be able to think critically, collaborate, communicate and use technological hardware and software effectively. This knowledge has allowed me to reevaluate the teaching approaches used within my learning environment. Therefore, I hope to facilitate training for my teachers to teach them how to use technology across the curriculum to aid students in developing 21st-century skills. 

I encountered various web 2.0 tools throughout this course that I anticipated using in my classroom. One such tool is blogging, which I hope to use to build students writing skills. Blogs allow students to develop critical, analytical, creative, intuitive, and analogical thinking while exposing them to valuable content (Fernette and Brock Eide, 2005, as cited in Richards, 2010). Kathryn Martin supports this perspective in Laureate Education (2015c). He explains that using blogs in her classroom promotes quality writing since students are writing for a wider audience and allow for the development of 21st-century skills such as communication and collaboration. Despite the challenges of access to the internet and devices at home, I hope that my students will utilize school resources to engage in blogging activities. Once used effectively, I anticipate that my students will become digital citizens who can responsibly engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behaviour when blogging (International Society for Technology in Education, 2016a). Additionally, as an educator, I can build on my abilities to design a personalized learning experience, fosters independence, and meets the varying needs of my learners (International Society for Technology in Education, 2016b). 

As I continue my growth as a 21st-century educator, it is my goal to use Google Classroom more effectively by engaging in weekly training sessions geared towards passing the Google Educator level two certification exam to better integrate other web 2.0 tools into the Google platform by December 2021. I also want to help my colleagues increase their engagement on the Google Classroom and other web 2.0 media by 50% through monthly training sessions to help them better meet the needs of their 21st-century students by June 2022. The realization of these goals will undoubtedly aid students in being better prepared to face life beyond the school's walls. 

In reminding us to be learners first, Richardson (2015) suggests that we can no longer afford to teach the way we were taught. The world has evolved and by extension, so has education. As such, our educational practices should reflect the changes currently taking place in our societies. One of the underserved populations within my learning environment is our slow learners. I am often concerned about their ability to keep up with a rigorous curriculum that focuses more on students' ability to pass standardized tests than develop their unique and diverse skills. I endeavour to use the knowledge and skills gained throughout this course to meet these students' needs better. I am confident that the tools encountered will allow me to diversify my instruction and assessment as I seek to cater to the diverse needs of these students. 

These past eight weeks have not been without their challenges. However, I can confidently say that I have grown as an educator. I am better equipped with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of my 21st-century learners adequately. I am also better able to aid my colleagues in sharpening their skills as they seek to meet the needs of their students. 

 

 

References

Deyamport, W., III. (2019). Incorporating college and career readiness into your teaching. Retrieved from https://www.schoology.com/blog/incorporating-college-and-career-readiness-your-teaching

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016a). ISTE standards for students. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016b). ISTE standards for educators. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Richardson, W. (2015). From master teacher to master learner. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Stauffer, B. (2020, March). What are the 21^st century skills? Applied Educational Systems. https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-are-21st-century-skills