Summary
Ertmer
and Leftwich (2010) suggest a shift in the definition of good teaching to include appropriate use of pedagogy. They
encourage teachers to use technology as an essential tool of the trade rather than supplemental to traditional
pedagogy. Ertmer and Leftwich (2010)
also recognize however, four areas where challenges may arise to effective technology
integration for both preservice and inservice teachers. These include technological knowledge and
skill, self-efficacy regarding technology as an instructional tool, pedagogical
beliefs, and school culture. To overcome
these challenges, the authors suggest giving teachers hands-on and vicarious
experience with technology in small doses along with appropriate training in its
use. This training should also be
specific to integrating technology into the classroom using higher-order
thinking skills, pointing out gains in student learning with these techniques. Finally, administrators need to support
teachers in their use of technology by providing adequate resources and
encouraging teachers as scholars, researchers, and lifelong learners.
Reflection
I honestly don’t know what to say
about this one. Right now I’m stuck on
the idea that we may soon lose a number of teachers across the nation, thanks
to what seems to be a stuck society.
When
considering that we aren’t spending enough to pay our teachers, making sure
that technology is put to use in each and every classroom the way that Ertmer
and Leftwich (2010) advocate seems trivial.
I agree with their general sentiment and ideas – in fact, the patterns
and solutions the authors describe really seem associated with implementing any
change, not just technology integration.
Where I can’t go with Ertmer and
Leftwich (2010) is their proposed change in the definition of good teaching to include appropriate use
of higher-order technology. I think that
good teaching is timeless and separate from the context of the age. If they would have said we should change the
definition of best practices, I would
likely agree; we’ve made significant advances in technology and should teach
our students how to use that technology for something other than shopping. But to say that good teaching depends on the use of technology, well…
One
thing that did catch my attention was the specific application of technology,
especially when encouraging teacher buy-in.
It definitely gave me a new perspective on our use of technology in
class. Being able to create audio,
video, and wiki pages really doesn’t mean a lot if you can’t figure out how to
actually use them to promote student learning.
No comments:
Post a Comment