Here Comes the 21st Century

For this reflection, I thought about my experiences and thoughts but decided that I wanted something more.  So I searched around and I found this very interesting article on where education technology could be heading in the next five years, and that really got me thinking.

It seems that the more I think about and read others’ thoughts, the more I see that we truly are becoming the facilitators of learning and that traditional methods of delivery are being challenged.  In order to stay current and be a part of this shift of deeper learning and integration of educational technology, we need more professional development.  

Since the technology is continuously changing, a great place to start is teacher’s college.  My mother recalls with humour a lesson on how to use the overhead.  Oh, that distance ancestor of the smart board.  I never got such lesson; in fact, I didn’t get a lesson on technology at all in teacher’s college.  Why is that?  Should not all new teachers have an introduction to the tools that are being used in modern classrooms and can help them become better teachers?  Yes, yes, YES!  

And the learning cannot stop there!  School boards, school learning groups, professional development seminars, all these things are vital to keeping up with not just education technology, but also how it affects and engages learning.  Computers and electronic devices have always been a part of our students’ lives, unlike me, who got my first computer at 17 when I was getting ready to go to university.  We have to learn with students and be prepared to help them use technology responsibly and in ways that will support their learning and skills for the future.  Technology is not going anywhere and sound pedagogy behind the technology is needed.  It is not so much about imparting all of our wisdom on the young, but rather building our wisdom together in this new era of learning. 

What Education Technology Could Look Like Over The Next Five Years