Ready to upgrade yet.....again?
by Patrick Springer
When I began this journey back in 2010, I stated that I felt an obligation, a responsibility, as an educator to best prepare myself for the future of education and the influx of technology in our schools. That feeling has not changed today. The technology influx however, continues to grow. My main goal at the time of application to the MAET program was to focus not only on gaining the knowledge of how to use the latest technology, but also the teaching strategies to make those technologies effective and meaningful for each student. Over the course of the last three years, I can honestly say that I have developed a clear understanding of what effective technology looks like in a classroom. I have learned how to use many examples of technology and how to incorporate them into my lessons. These include creating Prezis and other interactive presentations, incorporating technology based assignments, and building my own website for my classes. Goal accomplished!
My goal of being up to speed with the latest and greatest technology has changed a bit from a few years ago. I have realized that it is nearly impossible to keep up with all the advancements especially when it comes to the frequency of upgrades in electronic devices. I’ll never be the person waiting in line outside a store when the newest version is released at some early morning hour. However, with what I have learned through the MAET program, I feel that I don’t necessarily have to be a jack of all trades when it comes to all the different technologies that are out there. Tapping into what my students know and are able to create and produce is a better strategy for taking full advantage of the different technologies that are out there. I have found that allowing them the freedom to develop and demonstrate their own understanding has become a better approach for my classroom.
When I began this journey back in 2010, I stated that I felt an obligation, a responsibility, as an educator to best prepare myself for the future of education and the influx of technology in our schools. That feeling has not changed today. The technology influx however, continues to grow. My main goal at the time of application to the MAET program was to focus not only on gaining the knowledge of how to use the latest technology, but also the teaching strategies to make those technologies effective and meaningful for each student. Over the course of the last three years, I can honestly say that I have developed a clear understanding of what effective technology looks like in a classroom. I have learned how to use many examples of technology and how to incorporate them into my lessons. These include creating Prezis and other interactive presentations, incorporating technology based assignments, and building my own website for my classes. Goal accomplished!
My goal of being up to speed with the latest and greatest technology has changed a bit from a few years ago. I have realized that it is nearly impossible to keep up with all the advancements especially when it comes to the frequency of upgrades in electronic devices. I’ll never be the person waiting in line outside a store when the newest version is released at some early morning hour. However, with what I have learned through the MAET program, I feel that I don’t necessarily have to be a jack of all trades when it comes to all the different technologies that are out there. Tapping into what my students know and are able to create and produce is a better strategy for taking full advantage of the different technologies that are out there. I have found that allowing them the freedom to develop and demonstrate their own understanding has become a better approach for my classroom.
Both photos are from Microsoft Office Online.
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