Week 4 - Vision of Technology Integration and my digital footprint infographic

“What a computer is to me is it's the most remarkable tool that we have ever come up with. It's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”

Steve Jobs  (link goes to the video where he says this)

I love that quote.  When I first read it a few years ago it was so taken about by how clearly and concisely Steve Jobs summed up my feelings on not only computers, but technology in general.  None of us are born knowing exactly how to ride a bike, but we all can.  Some people get it faster than others.  But any way it happens you need to take time, patience, practice and realize that you are probably going to fall.

hang in there buddy!

But it is something we can all do because there are all sorts of bikes people ride, most have two wheels, others three … some even have four.  But what matters is that just about everyone can, in one way shape or form, ride a bike.  The same is exactly true with technology.

laugh, but she will probably kick your butt at wii bowling

Probably the best argument for why technology is pivotal … assistive technology.  I found this heartwarming video and corresponding article from Edutopia.  Honestly if you watched that video and your heart did not melt… you may not be human.

The one thing though … why the heck did it take so long for some of these students to get this technology?!?  Oh yeah, because the traditional pedagogy of how we should teach (pardon the passive aggressive hyperlink), says we shouldn’t.

On this point I draw a lot of inspiration from my wife, Lisa, who is a Speech Language Pathologist in a school where she works with preschool aged children.  Lisa is admittedly not a tech person.  But just seeing the leaps and bounds that these young kids make when utilizing technology, has driven her to work on implementing technology more and more into her what she does with the kids.

it's not like these guys have a way to access the greatest collection of knowledge ever created

When Lisa integrates that assistive tech with her kids what does she see?  More and more children being able to communicate.  If they did not have the assistive tech?  They are probably struggling more, being pushed though a system that does not adapt to their needs, and leaves them on the outside because they don’t neatly fit in the system.

So the question becomes what can I do in my career to help.  The first thing I need to start doing more of, advocating.  I would certainly not start off on as grand a scale in the link, but getting involved in a movement or just doing the most I can in my area.  Why is this vital to the success of technology integration?  Because, just like with my wife, many people don’t think they are tech literate … until they see how their students will thrive.  

But also where student assessment is concerned.  If I can learn to be more open minded when it comes to the various ways students take in knowledge I can be a much more effective teacher.  I can show them how to mind their digital footprint and how important it is to be a good member of society, even when they are online.

EMC2's Digital Footprint Calendar

Also, not just teaching to specific technology.  So I’ve seen many videos (including the one we watched the first week of class) where it spoke to how we are training our students for jobs that may not exist yet.

I feel that if you teach to just one specific piece of technology you will be missing out on so much more.  And, though it may look good on your yearly observation, you are not really doing a great service to the people you are teaching because chances are it is going to become obsolete.  

do you really need that calculator?   this works just fine

I think, in a way, this is part of the fear of technology.  It is constantly changing and evolving.  In conclusion, that is how we need to teach our students.  How to change, shift and evolve.  How to utilize specific skills they have to overcome the obstacles they will face in life.  Just like riding that bike, we don’t give up when learning gets too difficult.  We stick to it and adapt, maybe we find a bike that fits our needs better.  Or maybe, we reinvent the bicycle.