An Article Review

Well I didn’t think it could be done but at the stroke of midnight my article review assignment was handed in. Who knew researching an article and then writing about it could take so much time!! I must admit after finishing this assignment and finally having a chance to sleep on it I was pretty happy with the topic I chose. – Professional Learning in a Digital Age. I was so enticed by the topic that I think I will pursue it for further study – Maybe even another paper!

This article resonated with me for several reasons. Professional development is an expectation and obligation in teaching and yet a lot of the time I don’t feel that I really took anything away from these development days. If we are to engage students in their learning then doesn’t it make sense to also engage ourselves? Perhaps this is why I chose to pursue studies in Educational Technology. In this rapidly changing world, education needs to change but so does the way teacher teach. Our strategies for student leaning and engagement have to stay current. So why is it then that I can’t seem to find quality professional development to satisfy my professional needs?

This brings me back to the article that I reviewed. This article focuses on online professional development. Why can’t we connect with other teacher world-wide? Wouldn’t it be exciting to see what engages students in Australia, Ukraine, Netherlands or Japan! What does teaching in these areas look like? If we are trying to connect our students in the classroom using real world situations wouldn’t be just as engaging for teachers to connect as well!

 

“Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

A Starting Point

In the last few days I have consumed many new concepts and ideas on and about educational technology. One particular idea/question that was put forward for discussion was “What is your vision for schools 10 years from now?” I have been pondering this somewhat simple question for the last several days. It is a little hard for me to envision what 10 years from now will look like in a school because of our rapidly changing society but what I do know for certain is that I will have to keep up with new trends if I want to have an impact in my classroom. The fast paced flow and easy access  to information provide both challenges and opportunities for teachers. We will have to come up with ways to keep learning meaningful and engaging for students. Our goal is changing and as educators we need to now facilitate students learning. We need to guide students in their ability to make connections and to sift through the endless stream of information so that they can find what is useful and meaningful for them. Students need to be engaged in their learning and to become excited about the world around them.  To be and feel connected to students is important.  Educational tools are just that – tools. They will come and go and be replaced by better, faster versions but in the end students will still need to know how to make learning connections and analysis information in order for them to become problem solvers. I see K – 12 schools 10 years from now becoming greatly involved in distributed learning using technology to help students stay connected to the real world.

As students move through the traditional K-12 path of education they will need to be prepared for distance education opportunities. Students have choices of how, what and where they want to learn as they graduate from grade 12 and they need to be prepared for these opportunities. Distance education has opened up a world of opportunities and possibilities for students but they need to be prepared to take advantage of these opportunities and that now has become the job of the educator.

“Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

“The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done”.     Jean Piaget