https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA1Aqp0sPQo
In the video by the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), the speaker explains how children are living in a globalized world, where they are constantly hyper-connected. Education is vastly changing its course by creating 21st century skills using technology. In its attempt to make schools more accessible, are we creating an economic divide which actually makes learning inaccessible?
http://www.yogacalm.org/technology-alone-is-not-enough/
In my grade 8 homeroom class, we were privileged to have the very first SmartBoard enter our school. This was an innovative tool that we had never seen before and were excited to start discovering. Being able to walk up to the board and draw, manipulate, and physically highlight our answers made math so much more interactive and engaging. Although this example worked in our favour, I cannot help but think about students in lower socioeconomic classrooms who have never had the accessibility to this type of learning. This brings me back to my previous question, of the unconscious economic divide that education policy makers are beginning to create. If we as future educators are expecting students to use 21st century skills using technology, are we making all forms of technology accessible? How will implementing technology into our classrooms change with the different economic backgrounds of each school? While I see the definite benefits of using technology in the classroom, I cannot help but shy away from the idea of eliminating dinosaur-techniques such as textbooks and written exams.
http://pinstake.com/smart-board
While various research has shown that using technology in the classroom has been known to engage unmotivated students, I am ultimately on the fence with the idea of an increased constant connection to the digital world. Being connected has its benefits, but even a computer needs to be unplugged for a while.
