Teachers and Technology

I found the Fischbowl discussion to be very interesting because it addresses how people are willing and almost proud to admit that they have very little knowledge of computers and technology in general. My friends and I often discuss how we are the last generation of children who can remember a time before a computer was in the house and in the classroom. I’ve seen how computers went from being boxy and using huge floppy drives to being 2 inches thick with memory sticks. I feel like I was not taught enough about and with technology while I was in school and now it is time for me to play catch up. I’m as embarrassed to admit I have trouble with basic blogging sometimes as I am to admit I barely have any knowledge of a second language. I think it’s time to correct that as well in the school systems.
I agree with Fisch that it is time for teachers on a large scale to become technologically literate. That’s not to say that every single one of them should know how to hack and build websites of massive proportions from scratch! What’s needed is the ability to use technology to enrich students’ education. The internet provides teachers with the opportunity to work along side their counterparts in other countries! Instead of reading about the ethnic dress of Japan an American teacher and a Japanese one could arrange to do a podcast with the Japanese students in traditional costume! It would make the lesson so much more memorable and fun. There are wonderful teachers now who are not very good with computers but it’s time we all willingly sat down and improved out skills for our students’ sake.