Where do we go from here?

As I come to the end of my first semester of my IT&DML certificate program, I am thinking back to all of the information I have learned over the past 6 weeks. The amount of information that I have gained, through my instructors, classmates, and PLN seems almost overwhelming. Prior to this experience, I fancied myself a pretty tech-savvy teacher. However, as this process continues, I recognize that I am on the path to tech-savvy, but I definitely have a lot to learn. This “tech-savviness” does not only relate to the tools that we use as teachers (google, padlet, imovie) but also the practices (ORMS, TPACK, online literacy).

I did not realize how great the shift had been in incorporating technology in the classroom had been in the last 10 years. In reading Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age: Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now? by Greenhow, Robelia, and Hughes I have seen the immense growth. What used to be used once in a blue moon for research or a fun game has become a staple in many classrooms. This shift towards integrating more technology forces educators to take a look at the way they teach and the way students learn. Teaching the skill of reading a textbook and reading an online article vary greatly and not everything is better online.

When our school became a 1:1 electronic device and paperless school last year, I, along with many teachers in my school, were worried. We brought up our concerns at one of our first faculty meetings and our principal said, “Use technology that enhances your lesson. If you feel that it takes away from something you are teaching, do it a different way.” This is reiterated in Greenhow et al (2009), “digital literacy includes knowing how and when to use which technology and knowing which forms and functions are most appropriate for one’s purposes.” The connection between these two ideas really hit home for me. It is impossible to know everything about the internet and how it works. By taking it slow I can begin to incorporate the things I have learned about into my classroom. The internet isn’t going anywhere, in fact, it is just going to continue growing and changing. It is not feasible to become an expert on everything, so I will take this process in stride and proceed at my own pace.

This year I have requested no classroom supplies from my students, the only thing they will need is an electronic device. For me, this is a very scary proposition, but I feel the best way to dive into this world of educational technology is headfirst. I am ready to teach my students the skills they need to be a part of this tech-focused world. With the availability of online communities, such as Google+, Moodle, and Google Classroom I can connect with my students regularly and, more importantly, they can connect with each other. It also means the class resources are available to them all the time as opposed to a textbook that sits in the classroom.

The online landscape is constantly changing. I am sure there will be new things between now and the time I finish this program next August. The best I can hope for is as I grow more in my pedagogy, I am also able to include a little bit of new technology every day. As I continue through this process for the next year, I look forward to learning the best ways to integrate technology into my social studies classroom. There are already so many things that I want to try!