Friday, August 28, 2009
Teachers and Using Technology
I think that it is suprising that newer teachers are no more likely to use technology than teachers that have been teaching over 20 years. Most of the older teachers that I have had experience are still using overheads, and not taking advantages of technology such as powerpoints. Also, when I was in my undergrad I definately noticed a trend of with blackboard, it always seemed as if the older teachers would start out using blackboard, but never really update it or post grades. In turn, the newer teachers always had announcement, updates, and kept our grades up to date. I believe I disagree with statement because recently I have encountered two more veteran teachers and their problems with using technology. For example, my mom has been teaching 30 years and she still has problems using the computer, and would rather keep grades in a grade book than online. However, I do have to give her some credit becuase she now does her lessons plans on the computer even though it takes her a lot longer to do them because she is not very familiar with a computer. Another example which makes it hard for me to agree with this statement is that I had an older professor who would put homework on the internet for us to do, but she did not know how to use the program herself, so we always had to show her. Although I use technology and feel like I am fairly comfortable and familiar with it, I will always print out powerpoints and write on them instead of using my computer to type them out, which is one example of how I do not take of advantage of the technology that is in front of me. I think it is difficult for people to adjust to using technology if they are not familiar with it.
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I’ve seen this to be true even here at UIS. New faculty are often so focused on the ‘basics’ – getting their syllabus put together, getting used to the ins and outs of UIS, getting to know their students and other faculty members, etc. But then once they get a semester or two under their belt, they are ready to try some new strategies.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an important trend to consider for when you have your own classroom. Regardless of if you are young or not-so-young in age, you will still be a ‘new’ teacher – and veteran teachers and administrators may assume that already know about lots of technologies. Of course, I’m hoping that this course will help introduce you to many tools you’ll want to use. But I also remember my first teaching jobs. And I, too, was focused on the ‘basics’ of getting my curriculum down, setting the right tone for the classroom, understanding how that particular school functioned (how to get copies made, where the cafeteria was, where to find markers for the boards – you know, the real important stuff!). And then as the semester progressed and I felt more comfortable, I had the confidence to incorporate ‘cutting edge’ tools.
Assumptions like this are also important to keep in mind when related to students. We want to avoid making assumptions about our students – no matter the basis (age, socio-economic status, race, gender, etc). This is often easier said than done! To be an effective teacher, we must constantly evaluate what we think to be true vs what we know to be true. One of my basic tenants of teaching is ‘Prove it to be true’. Whatever I say to or about my students, I try to first consider what proof I have of these imminent statements – and when it doubt, I remain silent. Which leads to another of my tenants – better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt.