As parents and educators, we are constantly asking ourselves, "Are our children, our students, being taught within their zone of proximal development?" Are they being overwhelmed by challenges beyond this zone, or are they bored by the lack of challenge?
Or, are they engaged, stimulated by challenges to which they feel they can rise?
I agree that we must learn to become technological natives because computer literacy, understanding how to get information and communicate via a computer, is rapidly becoming the second language of our global world. However, whenever I take a class, my primary question throughout the semester is, how will this help me in my classroom? So beyond the purpose of global communication, I am hoping to learn how to use these new technological tools to further differentiate instruction in my classroom, in the pursuit of teaching all my students within their zone of proximal development.
As a fairly newly arrived immigrant, this new language is scary. However, as a seasoned learner, I have the confidence to feel that it is something I can come to understand. I've learned that with the help of my teacher, my classmates, my kids(:)) and myself, I can learn most anything. My goal, as a teacher, is to help my students learn this also about themselves.
