Crandall’s Blog

   When is technology at it’s best?  When it works the way you want it to, of course!  I have improved with my trouble shooting abilities when technology doesn’t work as planned, but sometimes I have to call for backup.  What about in our classrooms?  Do you see a great deal of technology integration?  I see pockets of teachers who are doing great things with technology, for sure.  But…there are many more who are doing nothing to prepare our kids for the technological world they will enter.  Don’t misunderstand, I’m certainly not saying it’s entirely the fault of the teachers.  Our schools don’t seem to recognize the urgency.  Most leaders are so buried with the work of running the schools that they don’t look up and see what’s going on outside their school environment.  Globally, we’re falling behind.   We in the U.S. have always seen ourselves as the leaders of the world.  Not happening anymore.  We’re not equipped anymore.  Our schools are not keeping up with the times.  We’re still hanging on to a system that is over one hundred years old; designed for a different time and culture. 

   I watched Michael Wesch’s June presentation to the Library of Congress, ”The Anthropology of YouTube,”   today.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU - it’s really quite interesting.  He talks a lot about individuality vs community and how YouTube has changed, and continues to change, how we see and hear each other.  Our students are using these Web 2.0 tools and skills to communicate with each other.  We need to leverage their knowledge of technology with our curricula.  It’s fascinating to talk to kids who are composing, creating, and sharing on the Internet.  Just ask some teens how long they spend on their computers (outside of school) each day.  The cell phone is still banned in many schools, yet the technology is already there for the cell phone to be a powerful tool for learning.  So how do we make sure our kids are learning the best ways to use the technology?  They know how, for the most part, but they don’t have the guidance to use it for their schoolwork.  We need to make sure we are supporting and encouraging teachers to try integrating more technology, to use and instill  21st Century Skills,  and to make sure our leaders understand the urgency!