Saving American Minds: Education technology and its value to our students

Saving American Minds: Education technology and its value to our students

Education technology and its value to our students

Fantastic News! I've been selected at my school to be part of a team of teachers who will teach students in the AVID Program (Advancement Via Individual Determination). I am so excited about it. We will be engaging with the new education technology such as wikis, pod casts, and RSS feeds in our classes. The goal of this program is to bring the middle performing student to the top of the class, so that each can see his or her fullest potential. While I am just becoming familiar with these new forms of technology, I am excited about learning more with my students as they explore collaborative team work and academic rigor. 


I've noticed that some of my colleagues are a little apprehensive about all this technology and collaboration. They have argued that the core skills of reading, writing and math need to be reinforced, as opposed to pushing the production end of ideas and concepts. I understand their fear, and I agree that proficiency in core concepts must be restored, but if we are to glean for the best minds, we have to understand that as we teach core values we must also teach students how digital technology can be used for the useful construction of ideas, which are marketable, and in the long run beneficial for the world. 

Blogging as "classroom" instruction

I started offering blogging as an instructional tool about year or so ago. I thought that it would offer students the opportunity to express their thoughts freely in a method that was new and enjoyable, since they already spend so much time online. Since not all students had access to the internet at home, I offered blogging as extra credit. I figured that it might motivate students who did not have computers or internet access at home, to go to the library so that they could engage in this activity. Not many students actually took this opportunity, but I do plan to push it again in February when we begin our spring semester.

Another problem I have had is with parents who don't want their children to use the internet because they fear that their children will get into dangerous activities online or engage in social networking sites and not study at all. While integrating blogs as part of instruction is challenging as with any new frontier, I do believe that it will soon become the norm. It is just a matter of time.

This is my seventh year teaching. Teaching is my passion, my joy, and my world. Without it, I would be lost. But what scares me the most is the reality that the vast majority of American youth have no desire to be educated and see no importance of it in their lives. I have completely embraced the idea that the role of the school has changed changed dramatically since the 1950's. The shaping of values, reinforcing core human interactions that used to be done at home now have to be done in our schools.

Not too long ago, while in a state of utter frustration over the gargantuan challenge of teaching my disinterested  students. What type of jobs would they get? Would they complete college? Who would hire them with such poor social skills? And worse - my gosh, are these kids really going to "vote"? I worried over their futures - what will become of them? I arrived at an amazing conclusion.

My job is to plant a seed in each child's mind. All of the seeds may be different. Since it isn't within my capability to solve all the problems and challenges for the rest of their lives - (I haven't figured that out for myself!) I need to address the potential for success in each child, here, now, today. That's it. If I do that well enough, then maybe, just maybe, years from now it will effect some change in their lives.