The List

Here's my "Top Ten Things Every Teacher Should Know About Technology List" from the beginning of the semester...I looked carefully at the list and thought about each one. After careful consideration I concluded that I wouldn't change anything on it except for number 10 - I'd suggest that librarians can help with website evaluation because it's one of the things we're trained in in this program. I have the same attitude and approach toward technology in education that I did at the beginning of the semester, and that's what my list focuses on, mainly. What's changed for me is my level of experience with that technology - I've done so much more work with the most current applications now! I am so glad to have had that experience - it truly reinforces numbers 3 and 4, in particular. Librarians are well trained in this stuff and are a valuable asset to the learning process. I didn't know any of this when I was a classroom teacher up until two years ago - I wish I had (and that my school didn't have to cut all of the librarian positions!).

Number 1 has absolutely been enforced - even technology applications that had previously intimidated me (and I like working with technology) are typically pretty easy if you read the sites' intro and help pages. The creators want you to use their sites, so users really just have to do some reading (or even just watch tutorial videos) before they dive in.

Regardless of everything I've learned, I still truly believe in number 9 - technology can only enhance our teaching and learning; though it can help it along significantly, it cannot replace other aspects of instruction instruction. But thanks to everything I've learned this semester, I'm excited to use technology to help enhance my students' learning.

Ten Things Every Teacher Should Know About Technology

1. Like many things in life, technology can be really easy to use once you know how to use it.
2. You don’t have to figure out how to use it on your own; there are books, manuals, and online tutorials
3. Ask a librarian for help –we love this stuff!
4. Beyond teaching you how to use technology, we are skilled in integrating these tools into the curriculum. Let us help with the technology part of lessons/units.
5. Students use technology constantly – regardless of your views on technology in education, it is a great way to connect with what they understand, enjoy, and how they communicate.
6. Learn from your students – they are particularly knowledgeable in social networking applications, for example. Think of ways to incorporate these intelligently into your classroom.
7. Just because students like using certain technologies doesn’t mean they know how to use everything that’s technological, so don’t be intimidated. Many students cannot use a SMART board, navigate the library’s card catalog, or find high-quality research on the internet, for example. You know more than they do in many technology situations (or can quickly become more knowledgeable than them).
8. Don’t ever rely solely on technology for any given lesson – the one day you need it will be the one day the Internet will be down at your school! Always have something non-technology based to use in a lesson.
9. Technology can help enhance learning. It does NOT necessarily replace other elements of instruction.
10. Carefully preview all websites and applications you’ll use with your students (this includes becoming familiar with privacy settings on applications like wikis and blogs). Come to the librarian with any website concerns or if you'd like to explore them together -we're trained in website evaluation and know just what to look for. Websites whose names sound innocent can sometimes be inappropriate for students.