Shift Happens

How did the video or the concept of collaboration change the way you think about the world? About education and using technology in your classroom? OR did it not change how you feel? Why?

Also, here's the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egnjm0B6DFI&playnext_from=TL&videos=pH1Zvzt4nBw


I had seen this video before, and it is not only surprising but maybe a little startling. It is true, though. I don't remember very many specific things I learned in high school. I did learn a lot, though. I learned how to think and learn and be organized. I learned how to deal with people and even use the limited technologies that were available at the time. I think it will be the same way with what I teach, as far as technologies go.

Ten years from now, everything will be different, and most of the specific technologies we use today will be better, different, or gone. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't teach and use technology in the classroom; it just means that we need to make sure we are teaching concepts and skills, too (not just, "this is how you add in excel."). I was observing a Financial Literacy class where the teacher was having the students balance a checkbook on paper. One of the students asked her, "Is this method even applicable with all the new technologies we have?" Well, is it? Many people still use the paper method, even though online banking is much more widely used now than ever before. But the concept of planning and keeping track of where your money goes is still just as important. I think the students benefit from learning to do it on paper, but the teacher probably should have included some online budgeting lessons, too. After all, that is what most of these students will be doing.


So to sum it up, technology will change and there is really nothing we can do but try to keep up. We still need to teach our current technologies, but we also need to explore the newer options (and discuss options that have yet to evolve). The most important thing we can do as teachers is teach students the underlying concepts so that they understand what they need to do regardless of the technology required to do it.