Journal+Reflection+4

These last two weeks has been very stressful. I began full-scale basketball, which further complicates the normal hectic life of a high school teacher. My life lesson of the week has been that using technology can often require a lot of planning and time to navigate in the planning process. Therefore, I think that one major issue that will have to be taken into account as teams plan out their tech plans for future technology integration there will need to be sensitivity to the fact that many teachers are going to need help learning how to balance the extra planning that will be required. With that said, incorporating technology has helped immensely in making the government content I teach become more accessible and "real-world". The Internet websites, photographs, and tools available online have really helped make my content better. I had a conversation with another educator and a few students that were interesting. The topic of discussion was the videos that we are watching for class and their viewpoint. My thoughts on this discussion was that these videos and in some ways the general tenor of this push for 21st century skills is that this is what is coming and we need to be ready for it because if we don't our students and our country will be left drastically behind. I think there is some truth to that, but I also think that there is some serious exaggeration in that message. One of the messages in the videos was that the traditional classroom is ancient and not useful for "today's" student and that we need to move to this constructivist, open, comfortable chair, learning community where all students can construct their own knowledge in their own way. This "new way" is supposedly the answer to a "broken" system of education that is more traditional in nature. The traditional system is a system of common assessment, and structure. I think that both extremes are the wrong way to go. I think that the Utopian ideal of a world where all children share their knowledge and work together for the common good while sitting on a bean bag chair sounds very socialist in nature. Socialism, does not work in bringing success. It brings mediocrity and low motivation for high achieving students. If Johnny constructs his knowledge in the form of a macaroni picture and gets an A, what is my motivation to construct my knowledge in a well-rationalized thesis paper?

Moreover, I think the other side of true traditional education where the strong survive does cause some students to b left behind. I think that sometimes technology people cannot see that traditional education can still work. We did not become a country with a 10 trillion dollar gross domestic product with poor schools and uncreative kids. Some people try to make "traditional leaning" teachers feel that their ways are outdated and useless in this new world. Proponents of the "new 21st century classroom" profess that by doing this we will give our students the critical thinking and problem solving skills of the future. However, that insinuates that the previous educational system was not. If that is true, how did we come up with the very technology that people now want integrated into the classroom? This technology was created by minds molded in the 20th century. There is something to be said for structure, and success to those who work harder than others do. One way or another there is short-sided thoughts on both sides. I think the truth is that we need to bring technology into the classroom and use it as a means to the same end as 20th century classroom. There will be new challenges to face and technology will help students in tackling those challenges. But that is how it has always been no matter what century. Our country advanced and competed in the past educational system and will continue to do so not matter what system is used as long as new tools and quality teachers are included in the process. I think the moral of the conversation was that technophiles and traditionalists need to find middle ground and fight move toward the same goal (which is possible).

Finally, I believe it is not simply technology, or constructivism, or traditionalism, or any other ism, belief, or tool that will make our country and schools successful. It is about creating our communities and culture to embrace education again. To get parents to be involved. To get students to think past the competing third wheel between traditional and 21st century technology; high stakes testing. High stakes testing has crippled teachers and schools. No one will move toward the future under those conditions. I think technology is important and the way of the future, but within schools that value structure and competition.