Feb 5th, 2008 by Ann Maher
Wikis. URLs. Facebook. MySpace. Blogs. Email. IM (Instant Message). Spreadsheets. Graphs and charts. Word processing. Flash. And the list goes on…
How confident are you about your own technology literacy? Are you a confident risk taker in exploring the new world of electronic organization? Or does the mere thought of using a computer make you want to revert to “the good old days?”
One thing is certain – technology will continue to have an impact on our lives, whether we like it or not. Our young adults already use technology for recreation, communication, work production, and experimentation. In an odd turn of events, the adults have become the “illiterate”, and our students now circulate in places and ways that feel inaccessible to adults. That is at once fascinating…and terrifying.
Consider the viewpoint of a high school sophomore named Natalie. In response to the question “How well do you feel you are being “technologically” prepared?”, her response is frank and illuminating: Personally, I don’t think that we are being prepared very well, I think that school could definitely use technology such as computers / laptops etc. more. I know that private schools use laptops in their classes and I think that public school students should have that choice as well. If they want to provide them for themselves, or they should at least have something offered. I think that would provide a better way to take notes and be organized and know where everything is at the end of the day vs. trying to riffle through papers all night, with a more likely chance of losing something in transit. I always use my laptop and I think that I and probably many others could do better in their classes if they were allowed to use them. Formal school instruction can only be a portion of the answer. Technology opportunities expand and unfold in ways too numerous to count. “Information literacy” or “technology literacy” is an element of twenty-first century education, and offers an ideal opportunity for the Teacher/Learner cycle. Few individuals will ever need or want to be technology proficient in all areas. However, if learning is to be relevant, and our relationships with one another productive and positive, do we not each have a vested interest in being at the very least “technology aware”? Writer Marc Prensky (Edutopia, F/M 2008) says that “Power will soon belong to those who can master…powerful and expressive human-machine interactions.” Let’s turn the tables, and let the kids teach us old folks, for a change! We’ll create sharing opportunities and examples linked to this website for all of us to teach and learn together. Check back often for new ideas, questions and answers. And remember…an answer today may only be one of many possibilities!!
Posted in Technology in Education
