tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5462925174172809862.post4436322172899129738..comments2022-12-26T17:17:51.270-08:00Comments on Expand My Thinking: Technology Needs Good TeachersJim Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987299327269904236noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5462925174172809862.post-52521748484752015202011-11-23T08:41:42.198-08:002011-11-23T08:41:42.198-08:00Thank you for the feedback Ashif!
Absolutely, exe...Thank you for the feedback Ashif!<br /><br />Absolutely, exemplary teaching can occur in very basic settings and mediocre teaching can happen alongside the latest in technological sophistication. Good teachers will look for ways to integrate technology to enhance learning experiences for their students. We must look for ways to make technology accessible to all learners (and educators) and constant updates, maintenance and cost will make this a considerable challenge.<br /><br />Technology is a part of our lives and we have a duty to stay relevant to best prepare students for their futures. I still believe that deeply thoughtful assessment practices (as and for learning) connected to clearly defined learning outcomes and well developed strategies for teaching critical thinking, problem solving and decision making are more important keys to effective teaching....Jim Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07987299327269904236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5462925174172809862.post-24175130462764882462011-11-22T21:06:07.520-08:002011-11-22T21:06:07.520-08:00Great post and excellent post comments. I agree wi...Great post and excellent post comments. I agree with the sentiment that the most important aspect is good teaching. I would rather have a good teacher with no technology than a mediocre teacher with a ton of technology. I do have to say that our children are changing, and we as educators need to change with them. Doing the same things we did twenty years ago may not meet the needs of our children today. That is where technology can play a role.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08637639960346769502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5462925174172809862.post-91240009525304838842011-11-17T23:00:26.473-08:002011-11-17T23:00:26.473-08:00Thank you for your response Jason.
I agree that...Thank you for your response Jason. <br /><br />I agree that teachers will always be the most important "agents of change" in our schools. To move learning experiences forward, we need to empower our professional, progressive and thoughtful teachers. They have the credibility and experience that will resonate with other teachers. Change agendas driven by people who are years removed from working in classrooms have difficulty bridging theory with reality. Our role is to build the capacity and audience of these teachers to make 'best practices' grow in our schools. The skills needed to teach the so-called soft skills of critical thinking, creative thinking and problem solving are more complex. <br /><br />As a natural extension of their craft, good teachers will embrace technology. I see a day when we no longer buy textbooks and atlases. Interactive ebooks can be updated easily and pages will come to life. Students should be online and interacting with the world. We need to be careful not to widen the chasm between the teachers using technology and those who are not. Access to technology and ongoing support for teachers needs to improve.<br /><br />Finally, teachers must be included and engaged in the transformations suggested in the BC Ed Plan. We need to sit down and resolve the current labour conflict in our province first.Jim Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07987299327269904236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5462925174172809862.post-32739727630207376402011-11-17T17:51:36.282-08:002011-11-17T17:51:36.282-08:00Jim,
Great post. I agree with your view that tec...Jim,<br /><br />Great post. I agree with your view that technology is a tool, and not more than that. It is not a "cure-all" that will define 21st century learning. While it does make certain parts of information retrieval easier, it does not replace critical or creative thought, play or exploration. <br /><br />As professionals, educators can be swept up in the latest craze; terms like performance-based, criterion-referenced, outcome-based, project-based or even self-regulated and many others are ideas that prove valuable in certain circumstances, but none of them, in and of themselves, are what makes the learning experiences of our students good. Regardless of the strategy or tool, what is required for education to be successful in the 21st century (just like in any other time) is great teachers. It is the appropriate use of the correct tool in the right situation that makes an experience good, and this is only considered by a skilled teacher. Teachers today need to have a plethora of skills at their fingertips, and be able to recognize when to use which one in order to best engage the students in their classes, each of whom will have their own set of experiences, skills and interests. Technology, just like anything else in education, still requires a skilled teacher who helps kids engage in the process by utilizing a variety of methodologies and tools.<br /><br />The question we need to reconsider is, what makes great teaching? In years gone by, a good teacher was considered someone who could effectively disseminate large amounts of information and help students comprehend what it means. In more recent years, we have moved away from this definition of a "good teacher" toward one that values creative, dynamic, student-centered professionals. As we move further into the 21st Century, we need to reconsider again, what makes a teacher "good"? What skills do good teachers need to have in order to do their jobs most effectively? Herein lies the aspect of technology. This tool is not going away, and has the potential for expanding much of what we do. Teachers need to be able to use this tool effectively to best engage the learners they have who are surrounded by it. Teachers need to help students understand its limitations and abilities, to teach them about ettiquette and the dangers of inappropriate use, and how to synthesize new perspectives with the information they were able to retrieve. This is challenging, difficult work that has not been part of "good teaching" in the same way in years past. It requires a skill set with and an awareness of the tool that will take time to develop in our teachers and in our students. Technology is not the "be-all-end-all", but is something that we will have to help our students work with in order to be fully meeting their needs. And I know you were already saying that. You're closing sentence was that there is "no app for that", and I guess that is what our teachers (as well as parents) will have to be.....<br /><br />I should stop now, since I am rambling. My apologies for being too long. Great post that has me thinking. Thanks<br /><br />JasonJason Lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205817127814782824noreply@blogger.com