Chapter 8/class 5 blog

I think it will take continuous hard work on the part of all teachers and educators to close the gaps in engagement and learning. One reason is that there are always new pieces of information/technology being presented to the public but it takes awhile for it to be integrated into schools at whatever level (k-12 and collegiate level). There is so much information and technology currently available to the public and it seems to be SLOWLY making its way into the school system. Is it no wonder the students lose interest and are not engaged in their learning? Is it taking too long to get into the schools? I think one way I can be successful with the Net generation is to actually use the technology once it is in the classroom. I really like the learning systems (WeBWorK) that allow students do their homework/classwork and get immediate feedback in order to build conceptual understanding. The classroom that I currently work in does not have a Smartboard but we will have one the second half of the year when our new building is finished. I think once the technology is in classroom it is up to teachers to continually educate themselves and be willing to bring it into the classroom.  If I stay current, then and only then will I make a better connection with students thus motivating them to learn. As noted earlier, we need to make the connections between what is relevant to student experiences and how they can apply it long term (later in life). This will constantly need to be evaluated “What is relevant to students?” It will be interesting how it all fits into the job market of years to come. I am not from the Net generation and quite frankly there are days I am bored in the classroom with traditional methods of teaching. I look forward to seeing the technology come into the classroom. I do believe we need to incorporate some traditional learning methods with technology and keep students accountable by having them reflect through interactive journal writing. The teaching methods that have been in place have proven to be successful. We just need to use technology to make the learning experience even richer thus keeping students engaged. I was really appalled to see that we are losing so many high school students. That should not be. I do believe that we must never forget the human element that is necessary in the interaction between people and tools/concepts/contexts. Majority of students still need the human connection coupled with technology.