Sorry to See It Go.

Stressed. Weary. Frustrated. Tired. Excited. Anxious. Euphoric. Stressed. Dreaming of sleep. What do they say? Anything worth having takes hard work? This was a tough semester, but as we discussed at our last meeting, it was a tremendously worthwhile semester. I think we were all surprised how much we have learned. And I, like many of my classmates, am very thankful for all of the support and comraderie that has been a part of our General Methods class. Dr. S, thank you for your enthusiasm for education, and your support of us. 5921 classmates, you are the epitome of people working together to help someone else.

No egos, it's about the kids.

There Was More.

Understanding the importance of integrating technology significantly into our curriculum was absolutely one of the primary understandings that I got out of my General Methods class. But, there was more. Though I had been introduced to, and had some understanding of the Information Processing Model and the Social Interaction Model, the class has truly deepened my understanding of them and the structure of a lesson within each of these models. As we jump quickly into the "Information Age",

these are the models that focus on the development of the higher level thinking skills that are needed by employers in this new age. Though Direct Instruction is absolutely still important for the transfer of base knowledge, as the world shifts, we need to shift. We need to change our view of teachers from "large and in charge", to facilitators of learning, the "guides on the side".

Really?? Only Six Months?

I cannot believe that it has only been six months since I met Dr. Smirnova. Amazing how my thinking has changed. When I first sat down at our first and only classroom meeting for Literacy and Technology in June, I knew that I was in for a real challenge. Being such a "digital immigrant", I knew that I would have to work my brain to its fullest to keep my head above water. However, as I believe I have mentioned before, through much outstanding teaching at the Mount, as well as keeping my nose to the grindstone, I have come to strongly believe in my own ability to learn. (I hope that confidence in their own ability to learn is something that I will be able to help my own students develop.)

I thought technology was cool, it was interesting, it was fun. Now, after two classes with Dr. Smirnova, I have come to understand that technology needs to be an essential component of our classrooms. Through the resources made available to us in Literacy and Technology, as well as in General Methods, Dr. Smirnova has made it clear that the world of education cannot isolate itself from a method of communication that now is a pervasive part of our world economy. The ability to access quality information, share ideas and products, and communicate responsibly with people all over the world, is innovating our world of business. This world has changed drastically and quickly in the last few years and will continue to evolve. We, as educators, cannot respond slowly, or we will be doing our next generation a tremendous disservice.

It is an exciting time to be an educator, figuring out what we need to do to help our students be prepared to work and contribute to this new economy, as we shift from an industrial economy to an information economy. As educators, we need to advocate strongly for the technological tools our students need to access information, tools they need to be familiar with, and help them to learn to discern quality information and sources. We need to help them discover ways to use technology to help themselves learn.

What is really cool is that just as we are realizing the importance of constructive learning, we have available to us a tool that makes constructive learning and inquiry learning much more feasible option for the vast majority of students in our nation's schools. No matter where you live, or how much money you have, you can find out what any animal looks like, you can talk to NASA scientists, or listen to a tutorial on how to play drums.

We live in an amazing age. It is time to connect the world we live in and the world we are preparing our students for. As we learn in methods, you have to start with your goal. If our goal is to help our students be successful in the world that they will live in, we can't keep teaching for a world that no longer exists. We need to figure out what they will need for this one. Then, talk the talk, and walk the walk.