Week 14 Post

I went online and found an article entitled, "Technology and Education, What will the future bring?" What IS the future of education and technology? Will technology continue to accelerate and impact the sphere of education, as it has so greatly done for the past decade?

According to this article, it should be noted and remembered that technology enhances learning but should not control it, because technology is not the content of lessons but rather a "cornucopia of tools for learning." With this as a general rule of thumb, I think that it is important to reflect on the fact that technology is a great way to help students learn knowledge, but should not dominate the classroom setup. Students still need to be able to function and interact without relying simply on technology for the means of understanding. With all the recent advances in technology, however, this article does point out that schools must continue to make accomodations for this "technology revolution" within their curriculum, teaching, and learning methods.

While this article briefly touches on how technological advances in education will hopefully continue to benefit those students with physical or learning disabilities, the ideas presented can apply to all students, including those without disabilities. For example, the article has an excellent analogy of how to view technology and education. Predicting the nature of the coming changes within the realm of technology and education is compared to backpacking in the wildnerness. If a hiker is registered and prepared with maps, a route, and gear, that individual will be well-prepared for possible events but will not be able to predict or know exactly what will take place on the trail along the way. The pleasures and dangers of the journey have yet to be encountered. Likewise, as technology continues to advance and affect the classroom, there has been a continuing increase of the many possibilities that could exist for those with or without special needs, but, at the same time, these future possibilities have yet to be fully explored.

This concept is brilliantly summed up near the end of the article, "The criticle gear we carry on the research trail into the future is our mindset, one of exploration, of investigation, of accepting new ways of doing new things. Those who become entrenched in the past, those who say, 'This is the way we've always done it,' will find that their gear is too heavy." How true this is!! I believe that educators must step into the future with a continued sense of innovation, for the practical and creative possibilities of weaving together technology and education are endless. Until the future "happens" though, we should do our best to incorporate the technological resources we do have within the classroom with the social and academic aspects of education. The trail will be blazed one step at a time. However, in order to progress on it, we must be willing to take each necessary step. Therefore, the survival tools for the future of education include a willingness to explore, adjust, and accept the many possibilities that technology presents educators with. For the sake of engaging students and increasing learning in today's world, I think it is helpful for educators to view technology and education as a trail. The trail currently involves the recent innovation of the SMART board, student and teacher blogs, the handiness of the internet, and much more. The trail will continue to open-up as the future unfolds.