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Technology is the most powerful tool in the world, and when its potential is harnessed to work for the good of society and the world, it is also invaluable. Technology has significantly changed the way I think, act and teach. I am a technology immigrant, unlike my own children and students who were born into a technology-centered world. At first, I needed to be courageous enough to “step off the edge” and immerse myself in technology, but as I look at it now, jumping in is how I have learned many, many things in my life. I am not one to stand on the side and contemplate how scary something looks and question what might happen if I mess up or fail. I tend to dive in headfirst and determined, finding that the water’s fine and asking myself why I didn’t do it much sooner!

Technology is, in itself, a continuing education. I can ill afford to sit back and teach the same topics in the same way semester after semester. Every year my students know more about technology than the students did the year before. I constantly strive to know as much as I can about emerging technology tools to be the best teacher I can be for my students. I constantly surround myself with people who are passionate about technology in education and who see the awesome potential technology holds for improving the way individual students learn. I am always seeking out new techniques, new strategies and new opportunities to integrate technology into the learning process. I am fascinated by the idea of a “paperless” classroom, and although I have made strides in this area, I have some questions in my mind about how to completely achieve this goal.

When I decided to earn my Masters degree in Education with an Educational Technology emphasis, public use of the Internet was still a very new concept. After five minutes of “surfing” for the first time, I remember thinking, “Okay, now what?” I had no idea that technology would become such an integral part of my everyday teaching experience!
My teaching style has done a complete 180 degree turn since I began using technology in my classroom. I now intentionally create my curricular projects using software tools that students need to learn, and I strive to create real-world projects that students will grab onto while learning essential 21st century skills. I look at classrooms with a podium in the front and chairs lined up in neat rows as the antithesis of effective teaching. I am along side my students continuously, interacting and guiding them to solve problems using technology tools. It is my ultimate goal to teach them how to work together and teach themselves so they will never stop their desire for learning.
One of my most memorable moments was at the end of a cross-curricular multimedia project when a 14-year-old student told me, “I never worked so hard on anything before in my life.” She was visibly proud of her efforts, and she seemed almost surprised at her results. Technology had swept her up, and she flourished.

I envision an ideal learning environment as one in which technology is everywhere. Students everywhere have their own small, personal wireless devices as a learning tool for all subjects. Wireless connectivity follows the student no matter what the location. Email is fast, voice-activated and allows students to communicate freely with teachers, submit an online assignment or test, and work on collaborative projects with other students. By 2050, I believe keyboarding to no longer be necessary, with technology operating on fingerprints and voice-activated commands to confirm identity and complete tasks. Missed classes are less of an issue due to connectivity, but the physical aspects of school are still strongly emphasized to foster social skills and relationships. Is this even close to what the year 2050 may see?
Technology needs to be available to every student. Issues of “equal access” should be eliminated, giving all students the essential tools they need to learn and use at home and at school. Technology needs to be durable, designed and built for the students who will use them every day. AlphaSmarts can withstand a four-foot drop…why can’t a laptop?

My toolkit contains:
1) Optimism. This comes in handy countless times when Plan A and B both fail and Plan C works like a charm!
2) Tenacity. A new roadblock presents itself and I feel thrilled at the challenge of solving the problem.
3) Flexibility. If looking at a problem in one way isn’t working, approaching it in another less conventional way might just do it.
4) A sign that reads, “Start With the Obvious.” I wish I had a nickel for every time a student tells me the computer won’t turn on, and I respond by asking, “Did you check the power source?”
5) Procedures. I record step-by-step instructions for everything from software programs to reformatting a USB key the computer won’t read. When I encounter the problem or question again, I don’t have to rely on my memory to rescue me. (It’s also a great way to quickly empower a techno-wary teacher on staff!)
6) Ed. Tech. Listservs. Sometimes I don’t have the exposure to certain software other teachers may use every day, and sometimes I need input from other teachers in my subject area on curriculum or Internet resources. Responses with wise words of advice from teachers all over the country helps to build my knowledge base so I can share with the teachers in my school.
7) Help Menus. While some may consider Help menus a sign of weakness, I contend that many questions can be answered by searching the handy help topics in the application itself. If the help is a .pdf file, I print it right away and file it as a reference tool.
8) Technology Publications. Keeping up with technology is easier when I can subscribe to two or three technology publications. One focuses strictly on technology, the others are related to technology and education.

I think Dale Spender, a well-known educational technology expert, says it best. He states, “For the first time in history, kids have the skills adults need to run the world.” We are in uncharted territory as adults, teachers and parents. The dynamics of the youth/adult relationship have changed in that students are now teaching their parents and sometimes their teachers how to effectively use technology. As this peer-to-peer relationship builds confidence in students, it’s essential that there are technology-literate adults who can teach those skills often overlooked by young adults. Issues of Internet safety, ethics and copyright must be intentionally addressed to students. Technology is an incredibly powerful tool, and with its awesome power comes responsibility.

Technology has totally transformed the way I teach. No longer is it effective to stand at the front of a classroom and lecture for an hour as students take copious notes. They want and need to be engaged in meaningful, real-world projects because their learning styles require a fast-paced, multimedia-infused environment. The more they see that a topic has value, the more engaged they become.

I am now much more of a facilitator, a coach on the sidelines, available to assist whenever my students ask. Small group projects are an important part of my curriculum, and with intentionality I can pair students together who may never have dreamed of teaming up, but who learn to work side by side and succeed together.

My principal describes my “guide” role as “a butterfly flitting from flower to flower.” Sometimes with so many different projects going on at one time I feel like “a chicken with my head cut off,” but being surrounded by students who are so totally immersed in the challenges of learning makes it all worthwhile.

Technology has the ability to empower students in a way that nothing else can. Special needs students can feel successful in a regular classroom because technology creates such great flexibility in individualizing instruction. Fear of failure is no longer an issue when students can pursue learning at their own pace, learning from their mistakes as they work in the non-threatening environment technology creates. Self-confidence increases as students solve their project-related problems, and working together forges new relationships with peers in a cooperative effort.

Grouping students by their project interests allows for them to view their classmates in new ways, sharing common strengths and building new friendships regardless of gender and cultural differences.

I am most proud of the self-assurance my students gain because of their growing technology skills, giving them the confidence to offer ready assistance to teachers and family with practical skills they have learned. They are willing and able to solve problems as they arise, giving them experience with problem solving in real life situations, and preparing them for success beyond school.

I do have obstacles:
1) Teachers stuck in their comfort zones, thinking of technology as another “additional” thing to include in the curriculum
2) Teachers threatened by change, fearing the thought of teaching differently (but isn’t it clear that our students today do learn differently?)
3) The secondary business education mindset/comfort zone that states, “Don’t teach all the good stuff in junior high! Leave something for us to teach when they get to high school!” But isn’t the goal to provide students with the tools to succeed and the skills for lifelong learning?
4) Teaching all day leaves precious little time to find funding sources to keep up with the latest technology tools, so using common sense and available technology to its potential is critical. Purchasing the newest “gadget” on the market may end up being a boondoggle with money better spent elsewhere.
5) Technical support for the technology requires an on-site expert to maintain and upgrade existing equipment so it is used effectively. All too often, a classroom teacher must divide attention between teaching students and troubleshooting staff technology issues.

Technology has opened up unlimited opportunities for me to individualize instruction and meet the needs of individual learning styles. Knowing this allows me to focus on the students’ strengths as they use technology, making it possible for countless successful learning experiences for all students.

For those just starting, I can say that first you need to understand the learning strengths of the students. Second, strive to do everything possible to empower your students with the tools they will need to succeed in their future. We can only guess what those skills are, but we must try, because technology is taking us forward to an uncharted world. As George Bernard Shaw said, “I am not a teacher—only a fellow traveler of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead—ahead of myself as well as of you.”