This blog is a result of my attendance at a SHIFT/DALLA Technology Conference in Humboldt. This is one of my first technology education conferences that I have attended. Most teachers probably would not want to be in a 3 day conference the week after school gets out for the summer, but I saw this opportunity and wanted to become a part of this event.
Over the course of the first two days I was able to get so many ideas about specific applications that work well in the classroom setting. I was also able to gain a greater knowledge of the implications of including technology in the classroom. Prior to attending this conference I probably would have rated myself at a proficient level technologically on a scale with challenged, basic, proficient, and advanced. Now, after being around so many wonderful technology-integrating educators I might actually rate myself at a beginning level. I felt that I was able to learn about so many technology ideas, some which were new to me and others that I may not have been utilizing to their greatest capacities. With SHIFT I was able to branch out of my comfort zone a little bit (more than I ever thought I would do) and create not only this blog but a Twitter account (follow me @rcrook_crook). I now have a broader perspective of how helpful a resource that social media can be to me as an educator. While I won't do EVERYTHING in my classroom this next year that I saw or heard about at SHIFT, I am excited to try new things and engage my students in a way that integrates technology more.
The DALLA part of this conference was also extremely helpful to me. While SHIFT focused more on general technology education components, DALLA gave me a more in-depth focus on how I can create something in my class with my students that will result in promoting technology in the classroom in a positive light for students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community members alike. DALLA is what I am considering to be my "breath of fresh air" when considering how I will run my classroom and integrate technology. One of the major things that I was able to take away from both SHIFT and DALLA is to bring in technology a little bit at a time, introduce applications gradually, and to worry about my own classroom environment first and along the way inspire other teachers to follow suit or even share out their own technology education inspirations.
I am so excited about what SHIFT/DALLA can bring for me this coming school year and can't wait to attend SHIFT next year!
Friday, June 19, 2015
Digital Age Education...What does it mean?
The society and culture we live in today certainly qualifies as being in the Digital Age. What does the Digital Age really mean for me as a teacher, for my students, and for those in the communities in which we live? Another term for Digital Age that you may have heard is the Information Age. We live in a world where if we don't know the answer to something, we can Google It or search it out through another search engine. We constantly have information and technology at our fingertips, in our pockets, along with on at least 2 other devices in our homes. In today's society transferring, sending, and receiving any kind of information is not only easy but necessary. Being in education today requires integrating that technology into the classroom.
Being an educator in the Digital Age is a variety of things. For some, being an educator in the Digital Age is challenging while others embrace and integrate it as quickly as they can. A factor that also plays into this scenario is the fear of technological knowledge, abilities, and devices. These first few items seem to be the initial thoughts of most educators when mentioning technology and the Digital Age.
There are also other factors that should definitely be considered when bringing the Digital Age into the classroom. Teachers must be aware of digital citizenship for both themselves and their students. Digital Citizenship entails many items, including but not limited to: digital etiquette, digital law, digital right and responsibilities, digital literacy, and digital security.
As an educator, I need to be at least three steps ahead of my students technologically speaking on a daily basis. I need to assume that if there is something I am unaware of how to do or fix, that at least one of the students in my classroom has had prior experience with it or they can figure it out for themselves in approximately 5 minutes. Working in the classroom, I also need to find materials or elements that are engaging and thought provoking to my students. (Luckily, I can find most things I am looking for already on the internet, as opposed to me creating every piece of engagement.)
Generally, a teacher wears multiple hats throughout the regular school day. Teachers, besides teaching children, act as counselors, problem solvers, moderators, managers (behaviorally), and researchers. Now, in the Digital Age teachers also wear an additional hat of an IT department. Educators should not be worried by adding yet one more hat because as teachers in the Digital Age we can inspire students in ways never before possible and help in creating successful members of a technologically dependent society. While some elements of the Digital Age may seem daunting at first, it is so important that educators embrace the technology and find their own strengths among it to share within the classroom.
Being an educator in the Digital Age is a variety of things. For some, being an educator in the Digital Age is challenging while others embrace and integrate it as quickly as they can. A factor that also plays into this scenario is the fear of technological knowledge, abilities, and devices. These first few items seem to be the initial thoughts of most educators when mentioning technology and the Digital Age.
There are also other factors that should definitely be considered when bringing the Digital Age into the classroom. Teachers must be aware of digital citizenship for both themselves and their students. Digital Citizenship entails many items, including but not limited to: digital etiquette, digital law, digital right and responsibilities, digital literacy, and digital security.
As an educator, I need to be at least three steps ahead of my students technologically speaking on a daily basis. I need to assume that if there is something I am unaware of how to do or fix, that at least one of the students in my classroom has had prior experience with it or they can figure it out for themselves in approximately 5 minutes. Working in the classroom, I also need to find materials or elements that are engaging and thought provoking to my students. (Luckily, I can find most things I am looking for already on the internet, as opposed to me creating every piece of engagement.)
Generally, a teacher wears multiple hats throughout the regular school day. Teachers, besides teaching children, act as counselors, problem solvers, moderators, managers (behaviorally), and researchers. Now, in the Digital Age teachers also wear an additional hat of an IT department. Educators should not be worried by adding yet one more hat because as teachers in the Digital Age we can inspire students in ways never before possible and help in creating successful members of a technologically dependent society. While some elements of the Digital Age may seem daunting at first, it is so important that educators embrace the technology and find their own strengths among it to share within the classroom.
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