My goal as an educator is a classroom engaged in challenging, authentic, and intellectual work, using technology in ways that powerfully advance learning. My students are learning how technology works, what purposes it serves, and how it can be used to achieve goals. While basic academics are vital, today’s student must also be able to use a range of media. In this age, all people are faced with a barrage of information available technologically that they must be able to locate, synthesize, and use. Browsing, searching, navigating, and creating products online are essential skills. Because it is so easily accessible, every child should be reaching out to the world beyond their own neighborhood/school. Teachers should support today’s students’ needs and curiosity using current technological advances, establishing connections with the real-world to facilitate life-long learning/growth. Because of technological advances, we can gather perspectives from innumerable sources. Outdated textbooks and single-minded teaching fail to address learners’ needs in today’s wired, networked society.
Effective technology infusion promotes lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity. By using technology effectively, ours has become a classroom with 29 experts; compared to the model of one teacher: 28 learners. In our class, we use technology to gather, organize, and share information that supports our standards far better than one teacher/book! No question is taboo and everyone is responsible for finding answers using the technology we have available. We research, write, and produce real world projects that make these 8-, 9-, and 10-year-olds proud to present their knowledge – a feeling that reaches beyond the standardized tests I have used in the past to measure their progress.