The article "Survey Reveals Gaps in School Technology Perceptions" focused on the widely varied attitude surrounding technology and its place in the 21st century classroom. According to the article, there appears to be a rather overwhelming disparity between teachers' and administrators' attitudes surrounding the importance and implementation of online communicative and collaborative sites as well as technological games and simulations. The survey data indicates that a majority of administrators, principals, and students all agree on the importance and necessity of collaborative sites in a 21st century curriculum, while far less teachers, on the other hand, do not feel they are either appropriate or necessary. Interestingly, too, of the teachers (and aspiring teachers) that do acknowledge and support the use of a variety of different technology in the classroom as learning tools, only 25% actually use it. This contradiction can be contributed to either their lack of know how surrounding the different interfaces and how to incorporate them or their fear regarding the potential threats that these different resources pose not only to their students but to the integrity of the learning process.
As an individual that is not terribly savvy with technology and self-admittedly green of how to properly incorporate into my classroom, I can relate with these teachers' feelings. Technology is a powerful tool (for both positive and negative means) and it has great potential in the classroom for both instruction and engagement purposes--there is no question about this. The true question is how. How do teachers incorporate technology in a way so as to enhance genuine learning and engagement amongst students--both safely and appropriately in order to uphold the rigor and standards of a learning community. In the long run, the question of technology comes down to best practice--what method works best for each teacher, each classroom, each student. What works for one classroom may not work for another; the only way to find out what is effective is to try. Granted, there is a definite risk involved in this--but that is the learning and teaching process; trying something, reflecting and making adaptations. It is all about balance. No one way is the best way, there needs to be an infusion of all the available resources and options that best cater to each students' individual needs. Technology provides a unique avenue for teachers to reach out and engage their students. As teachers we make a daily commitment to help and motivate teach student to achieve at their highest potential--if that requires the use of technology in the classroom, then by not incorporating it, we are do a disservice to our students.
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