We have all heard the saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Interesting how such a common utterance can be applicable to virtually every aspect of our society. Over the years, older generations have lamented at the idea of change. Communication, for example, has undergone a multitude of evolutions over the past century. The line of thinking was, "Why telephones? Telegraphs get the job done just fine." Later, "Why email? What in God's name would we do with that sort of technology?" Same goes for education: "Why school? The current system is fine. It worked for me when I was a child. Why should we change it?"
Will Richardson argues that this viewpoint desperately needs to be flipped: "Why school? Why not school?" Richardson spells it out in black and white when he shares his own experiences with his son: "The irony is that Tucker, his friends, and many other kids are loving learning and are using technology to solve real problems and think independently — without us" (Richardson, 2012). Richardson evokes the image of a future dystopia (or utopia, depending on how you look at it) where kids sit down at a computer everyday and spend hours learning from a tutor online within the walls of a small "school," filled with other kids doing the exact same thing. Sounds like something out a Huxley novel.
What Richardson urges teachers to do, and I echo, is to refrain from doing what feels comfortable. Just this morning at our daily staff meeting, our assistant principal reminded us that "less is more." She asked that we remain cautious of reverting to old habits of dominant, direct instruction. Place the focus on the scholars. As a teacher, show them the way, but don't hold their hand trudge towards the objective. The takeaway from Richardson is that it is important to incorporate technology in the process of helping students develop independent habits of creative and meaningful study. In a world inundated with information, it becomes the role of the teacher to act as a sort of guide through the web. Show students how to be responsible digital citizens and how to use these web tools not only to learn, but also to network and share their ideas with the entire world.
This really challenges the age-old adage "don't talk to strangers." Who can we trust? How can we avoid the various dangers of the worldwide web? To put it bluntly, we can't. At least, not completely. I recall when I was in middle school and I was first starting to get the hang of using the Internet (for fun, of course) I ran into a few danger zones myself. (It is amazing how the smallest typo can result in a catastrophic search result.) But, if educators know how to navigate this realm safely and effectively, they can them become confident guides for students as they are introduced to these resources.
Tech can be scary, if not overwhelming. However, preparing today's scholar for the gizmos and gadgets is essential, so bravery is then a necessity. If you think about it, learning about the multitude of technology our world has to offer is simply like riding a bike. It may be scary, but once you get the hang of it, you have no trouble at all.
Will Richardson argues that this viewpoint desperately needs to be flipped: "Why school? Why not school?" Richardson spells it out in black and white when he shares his own experiences with his son: "The irony is that Tucker, his friends, and many other kids are loving learning and are using technology to solve real problems and think independently — without us" (Richardson, 2012). Richardson evokes the image of a future dystopia (or utopia, depending on how you look at it) where kids sit down at a computer everyday and spend hours learning from a tutor online within the walls of a small "school," filled with other kids doing the exact same thing. Sounds like something out a Huxley novel.
What Richardson urges teachers to do, and I echo, is to refrain from doing what feels comfortable. Just this morning at our daily staff meeting, our assistant principal reminded us that "less is more." She asked that we remain cautious of reverting to old habits of dominant, direct instruction. Place the focus on the scholars. As a teacher, show them the way, but don't hold their hand trudge towards the objective. The takeaway from Richardson is that it is important to incorporate technology in the process of helping students develop independent habits of creative and meaningful study. In a world inundated with information, it becomes the role of the teacher to act as a sort of guide through the web. Show students how to be responsible digital citizens and how to use these web tools not only to learn, but also to network and share their ideas with the entire world.
This really challenges the age-old adage "don't talk to strangers." Who can we trust? How can we avoid the various dangers of the worldwide web? To put it bluntly, we can't. At least, not completely. I recall when I was in middle school and I was first starting to get the hang of using the Internet (for fun, of course) I ran into a few danger zones myself. (It is amazing how the smallest typo can result in a catastrophic search result.) But, if educators know how to navigate this realm safely and effectively, they can them become confident guides for students as they are introduced to these resources.
Tech can be scary, if not overwhelming. However, preparing today's scholar for the gizmos and gadgets is essential, so bravery is then a necessity. If you think about it, learning about the multitude of technology our world has to offer is simply like riding a bike. It may be scary, but once you get the hang of it, you have no trouble at all.