Blog Post 3

2. "It's Not About the Technology" by: Kelly Hines

In Kelly Hines post, although many will disagree, she states that learning in the 21st century is not about the technology. Yes, times are changing rapidly and as teachers we have to look into the future at the kind of world our students will be entering. It is our job to teach them what they need to know to be successful in that environment. Is it possible to do that without technology? As educators we must make sure that we remember that our eagerness to learn cannot end at graduation. It is our responsibility to stay excited about learning and never become stagnant. While preparing our students for the future, Hines does not feel that technology is the first thing that needs to change. Although ipods, computers, wireless connectivity, netbooks, 1:1 initiatives, blogs, and podcasts are great tools the issue is deeper than that.

She has four basic objectives that must be met in order for our classrooms to move forward in the 21st century.
1. Teachers must be learners. You must do more than just go to mandatory workshops and meetings. Be creative and willing to explore, teach yourself something!
2. Learning and teaching are not the same thing. Remember that if your class did not learn anything from your lecture, then you have not taught anything.
3.Technology is useless without good teaching. You can fill a classroom with thousands of dollars worth of technology, and it's not going to make the students learn any better. The teacher has to be willing to learn and use the technology to its full potential in order for it to impact the students.
4.Be a 21st Century Teacher without the technology. The core outcomes she lists are as follows:
1. Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes
2. Learning and Innovation Skills
* Creativity and Innovation
* Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
* Communication and Collaboration
3. Information, Media and Technology Skills
* Information Literacy
* Media Literacy
* ICT Literacy
4. Life and Career Skills
This theory is concluded with the basic thought that if teachers will develop their students creativity, give them problem solving and critical thinking skills, and keep the hunger to learn alive they will be more than ready for the future. Although if a teacher can do all of the above and can bring technology into the mix the possibilities are endless.

3. "Is It Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?" By: Karl Fisch

Is it okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher? It seems that is a very popular question among the educational community. In Fisch's post you can feel his frustration with teachers who are not willing to learn and explore technology. The frustration worsens as he realizes that not only are they not willing to learn but they are proud of being technologically illiterate. He believes that not teaching today's children technology is equal to not teaching children 30 years ago to read and write.

I do agree that teaching technology is a must and that teachers should most certainly be willing to learn. I am not sure that I agree that it is impossible for a teacher to be successful without technology. I think there needs to be clarification as to what extent teachers need to use technology in their classrooms. I don't think that students have to know how to use youtube, blog, etc in order to learn. At some point they need to be taught how to use the internet as a tool but how much of that is the Math, or English teachers responsibility. I think that students should be required to attend a technology lab that teaches these skills. Teachers have plenty of requirements to meet in their specialized subject they shouldn't be forced to teach computer. This doesn't mean they shouldn't encourage the use of technology and be knowledgeable if a student has a question. In the event that a student has a question that they don't know the answer to they should help them trouble shoot and find the answer together.

4. "Social Media Counts" by: Gary Hayes

Wow! That post will blow your mind. Seeing the increases in the counts by the second really puts things into perspective. It is kind of scary knowing how many people right this second are on the computer posting on Facebook, Youtube, and other social networks. Hear me out, I am excited about learning and I think that everyone should know how to use these tools. That's the key though, to use them as tools. I think it is not only important to teach children how to use these sources to better their education but we also have to teach them that there is more to life than the internet! It scares me how much people are glued to there phones checking to see the latest update on Twitter, or Facebook. Not that the internet can't be used as a source of entertainment, but just in moderation. We can't forget to get out in the world and smell the roses. We have to also teach this generation to turn off the phones and computers and enjoy dinner with their families. I see it all of the time. Not only do we need to be technologically literate we also need to teach technological etiquette.

5. "A Vision of Students Today" by: Michael Wesch

In this video you can see how the use of technology has changed the way students think. Students won't read a book, but they will read an email. They won't write their notes but they will type them. They will bring their laptops to class but they will not be doing class work. As a student body we are studying and working towards jobs that may or may not exist when we graduate. This video confirms that the way to communicate to this generation is through technology. The challenge is learning how teach in way that will reach students growing in a technical world.