Albert Einstein once said that “the problems exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them”. As I reflect on the course I thought about many of the problems that exist within the confinement of our educational system - Jamaica. It is not that we are not aware of these problems but the system in which we work often times create and feed these problems. In doing this course- Educational Technology I was made aware time and time again that I and we as teachers or future teachers can become that missing formula that solves these problems if we meet the needs of twenty first century students; by inculcating technological devices and tools within our classrooms. At the on start of the course I found some of the content boring, and I was of the view as to how various information being presented can be relevant to the use of Technology in the classroom, however I quickly disclaim this schizophrenic notion and was able see clearly the link between ISTE NET Standards and it importance to the teach and use of technology within the classroom. The course itself was one the challenges the norms of the traditional classroom in both setting and assignments. I was motivated to do assignments and relevant posting on the course website know as Schoology, which was quite fun and overtime became a kind of obsession. As a student I was able to grow and develop an appreciation for the different forms of technological devices and tools that I came in contact with throughout the sojourn of the course. The uses of these tools are governed in the ISTE Net standards which is a document that speaks about digital age teaching in the classroom. In using the ISTE Net Standards teacher “use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity and innovation in both face to face and virtual environments”. All of these attributes were infused in the course as our lectures both facilitate and encourages the use various 21st century tools and devices in our presentations and assignments.
“Future technological tools will allow people engaged in making judgement and decisions to evaluate their decision very quickly in light of collaborative past experience”. (Prensky).One such technological tools which was used in our Educational Technology course was Schoology, which a social learning website that allows for teachers to post and monitor our discussions and even share feed back to us regarding assignment, posting or queries that we might have about a topic in class or after class. This tool was in a sense one of the first of many foreign devices that we were introduced to in the course and as such some of us (including myself) began to make the slow transition from being a digital immigrant to a digital native as the course progress. Another tool that was also equally enlightening was Prezi. Prezi is cloud based technological tool that is used to enhance learning, it allows for teachers present to students various online presentations and allows students to be exposed to a different form presentations using different slides. This course- Educational Technology which open future teachers to various tools and devices that they can use to interact with their students in the classroom. “Going forward, curriculums should provide more flexibility and engagement, which can be done with software tools, rich media, online collaborations, and virtual communities. These can result in a more open-ended, authentic type of learning than that which you get from a student opening a textbook”. (Hurley, 2001).
Reference
Hurley, K. ( 2001) Twenty-first Century Learners: What do Digital Natives Need?. Retrieved from www.pearsonschool.com on December 20, 2012
Prensky, M. H.Sapiens Digital: From Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom
Excerpt from ISTE Net Standards retrieved January 5, 2013