PDP - My Beliefs

I have definitely had my eyes opened since that first day in Doc Waters class and have come to realize through additional research, that incorporating technology in the classroom and making it part of the learning process is essential if we are to really speak the language of students these days and prepare them for the future. The majority of students come from tech-rich homes and if they haven't experienced today's technology in their own homes, they have likely experienced it at a friends' home, at a store display, etc. I am no longer prisoner to an unaware mind when it comes to the importance of technology. I have come to see that if I (and every other teacher) are to successfully and effective teach today's children and prepare them for the future that lies ahead, then we MUST use technology. When I say use I don't mean use it as we do a garnish on our entree plate - I mean use it like we use sauces. Garnish simply sits on the side of the plate and the diner has little interaction with it. Quite the opposite, sauces are mixed right in the main entree and are usually the "it" that makes the meal so tasty.

The slide show titled, "Tools for Change" illustrated clearly how I hope to integrate technology and the clear, defined difference that I hope my students experience in my future classroom, between the old way and the new way. I want to be a teacher that is the facilitator, the learner, the provider of access and resources, and technology. And I want my class to be filled with students who are searchers, active researchers, problem-solvers, strategists, collaborators and experiential learners. I won't be afraid of technology and I won't be afraid of taking the role of learner in situations where my technology savvy students are more knowledgeable than me. I look forward to becoming that teacher and meeting those students.