On the Ignorance of Technology

1.Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
I think this video does well in capturing the uncertainties students feel in converging technology with education. While most people see it as a communication device and a way to quickly access information, the “clouds” could also be used to support and incorporate other forms of learning. I completely empathize with this uncertainty. The video itself is proof of new ways to learn something, but I just have one concern when it comes to using technology as an educational tool: Everything in moderation. Just because the internet is an infinite space does not necessarily mean that it should be filled up infinitely. I understand that we are now of the “technology age”, but not everyone “lives in the clouds”.
Globalization has caused and will continue to cause the four walls of the classroom to melt away. I think this is the message of the video: young people are adapting easily to the technology transition. In order to motivate them, we must be aware that school is no longer about studying classics and living in our heads. Collaboration has become the tool of the future, and the point of this video (and the class) is to realize that technology is the road to collaboration.


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

It’s not blasphemy to say that education today is not about technology. Education is about fostering an environment where learning is allowed, not criticized, fun, and relevant. I say allowed because brain development studies show how diverse learning is, and many educators expect students to learn exactly as they do. Hines’ number one point is that teachers must be learners. Without passion, education will not succeed with all the technology in the world. It is important to understand the shift we’re in, and to try to implement tech-savvy tools and assignments. I think it is more important that the people implementing these tools are aware of the many facets of learning.
It is blasphemy to say that education today is not about helping students. It is evident that technology can be used to foster evolutionary education. The point is that education today is still about giving as many resources available to the student. As we continue through the 21st century, technology has become a greater and greater resource. Educators therefore must be aware educated in this resource.




3.Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
No.

I’ll start with the quote: "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - its equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write."
YES, it is extreme. Literacy in reading and writing and literacy in technology ARE on different planes, but sometimes people need extreme to kick them out of their comfort zones and off of their fannies. (Note: I am completely outside my comfort zone)! However, I will never condone or champion ignorance. I am ashamed when I say I don’t know much about technology, just as people should be ashamed about any type of ignorance. And sometimes I don’t want to be nice, either, but I don’t think that means we should stop being nice. There’s a difference between being helpfully forceful and being mean. When it comes to helping educators through the 21st century, it will probably be easier for everyone to stick to the former.

Next Quote: Technology is the underpinning of just about everything we do today - and especially so in relation to how we communicate with each other. And isn't communication one of the essential ideas that runs through all of our disciplines?
The answer here is yes. Communication works as a social tool and as a means of expression. The collaborative nature of the internet and the tools available cause that communication to be even more widespread and influential…even beneficial. My question back to Fisch would be: Shouldn’t we use this communication to encourage the evolution of technology instead of berating ignorance? It seems like our efforts to create tech-literate teachers would work better with encouragement…I know that’s really all I need when it comes to embracing this shift. And as annoyed as I get with people who are ignorant of the things that I find worth learning and paying attention to, I try to remember the things that I’m ignorant of too.



4.Gary Hayes Social Media Count The numbers are indeed astounding, but less so since this is not the first time I’m seeing that the world is growing exponentially. As an educator I think these numbers simply prove that I am unaware of what my job (and the duties entailed in that job) will be in the future. Most importantly though, I think it just shows the need to BE AWARE of the growth….its sounds like such a ridiculous thing to be aware that we’re unaware. However, that’s exactly what going into education shows us. We HAVE to keep learning about the changes affecting our world.