Technology Tools
Our students are entering a world in which 60% of the jobs will require technological competency--a world in which they must continue to update their occupational and technological skills in order to be successful. We must enable them to become technologically competent. We must take advantage of the capacity of technology to enhance our traditional classroom presentations and to engage our students in active learning.
LaFanya ,
I think you are right. I teach f2f and I don't have "paper" submission anymore. It helps with accountability for both the instructor and the student.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Cynthia,
You make a great point! Where do we go for this. How do we know it is the technology we need to know? Do institutions need a technology gatekeeper that helps assess them.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Michael,
Yes, you are the one to spot and treat any lack of skills. That does differentiate you from other faculty many times.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hi Cynthia: You've expressed one of my own concerns about how do we, as instructors/facilitators stay current. I have 5 grandchildren (ages 6-3-3-2-1)--all but the 1-year-old has an IPod. I'm mentioning this because they can access all kinds of learning activities on their own and I'm pretty sure they're going to be expecting to see similar types of learning technology available to them when they start school. I have some colleagues who've been teaching 1st-2nd-3rd grades for years and years and I worry about their adjusting to what's expected of them in terms of using technology in the classroom. As for me, I've been teaching online for years and my school is great about making changes and adjusting to new things to enhance our classrooms. We get extensive training so staying current for me is relatively easy. But not everyone embraces these changes (this speaks to the comfort level you mentioned) so I'm wondering how many of my colleagues will stay and make the adjustment and how many will bail out. Vicki
Dr. Kelly,
I agree! Students in a traditional classroom are usually not required to use technology to participate in the course. However, I do think this is changing. My daughter is in her second year of college and has been responsible for submiting most of her assignments online. She also has had to participate in weekly blogs. It's a good thing that this generation is so skillful in the online world!
Technology tools certainly enhance this new classroom but I find the challenge with the teacher being exposed, trained, and comfortable with these new tools. Where does one go to "load up" with this new knowledge that seems to change every day?
Hi Anita,
I couldn't agree more--many of my reentry students (at my career college) would not be considered "digital natives" and so the burden many times may fall on the teacher to reinforce basic tech throughout a course. This may include word processing, spreadsheets, etc.
Anita,
That is great! I think the framework is perfect!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
In order to help educators integrate technology effectively, we have compiled a list of technology tools focused on learning goals consistent with the CRCD framework. Unlike other lists that promote “cool tools,†yet leave teachers wondering about purposeful educational integration, our list is driven by specific learning goals that promote critical-thinking, creativity, collaboration, and community-mindedness. We hope you will find our list useful.
Anita,
You make a great point! We tend to make concessions for our non traditional students regarding technology when in reality all of us need to be able to learn new skills. We should all model life long learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
