Going into a classroom today is incredibly different than it was, even 10 years ago. Let's just say as a completely random example that a certain someone was in the second half of their grade 10, 10 years ago, in February 2011. Can you imagine something like that? Definitely, that is something that is difficult to get my head around for sure, but nevertheless what did school look like for the student 10 years ago? what about the teacher? Sure we, as students had our computer rooms, we could type on a computer pretty proficiently, could text behind our backs using T9 on the old RZR or KRZR, whichever was your preference. We had started to see an emergence of BlackBerry phones and a rare spotting of an iPhone could be seen throughout the hallways but were far from the prevalence we see today. Our teachers knew had to use the computers, got some news from it in the morning (or during class depending on how close they were to retirement and how little they cared), but for the most part, most classes would have been no different if there was not a single computer in the classroom.
So what about today? 10 years later, walking into a grade 10 classroom, what can you expect to find technology-wise? Well with the students, you are more than likely going to be walking into a classroom where a majority of the students have an iPhone and have mastered the skill of texting on that behind their back. Any information that they require can be found in a matter of seconds and in many locations, there are laptops/tablets available for each student. So. How about the teachers? Has it changed for them? How are they more connected and in turn how does this affect how my future students (as I become a connected teacher) as well? Well, as this website shows, teachers are more connected to technology and use it in a variety of different ways, use different resources, and can change the way assessments and projects are done in their classrooms for their students. Teachers are now using technology in their everyday life, by sharing pictures, dating websites, social media accounts, Facetime and Snapchat, and many other ways, but they also use it to help build the knowledge of the future generation to use the internet in a positive way and as a tool for their education and a way to find new information. Students are always going to be connected, they've grown up on it the internet, as educators we have to help be sure they use it safely, properly, and really utilize some of the benefits that the internet provides to them. A prime example of a way that you can have students start to see some benefits of the internet, and seeing how they can use it to find knowledge, could be to have them run and operate a blog talking about what they've done in class, but also following other professionals that provide resources that blog. Imagine doing something like that in class.
Students and Teachers have experienced an unparalleled change with the emergence of using technology for education in the life of Covid. Classes being shut down, schools being shut down, having to continue lessons from home and utilize online assignments for assessment has changed the way school is being done, and I'm sure in many ways, some of these changes will stay.
During my time in the classroom, the teachers were utilizing Google Classroom unlike they had ever used it before. All of their assignments had to be scanned in and were assigned to the students, who were able to work on these assignments and submit them through the website, but the assignments were only half the battle as lessons still had to be taught. Thankfully, in the classroom I was working in, the teacher had a "Juno" which allowed the recording of the smartboard and the voice of the teacher to be saved and uploaded as a lesson into Google Classroom.
Students are learning through unprecedented times that the digital world is going to have an impact on them, whether it be education or in their personal lives. Availablity to everything on the internet is at their fingertips almost at all times so as educators we have the responsibility to keep our connected students safe and help them navigate through the information provided, and as Steven W. Anderson said on Twitter "Being a “Digital Leader” in or out of the classroom is more about creating an environment that values effective pedagogy, high achievement and feedback over laptops, apps and makerspaces."
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