Chapter+9

Cindy- Honestly, the first half of the chapter ( with the exception of Ivanna finding her sidekick )I personally did not find interesting. I still think the author is over selling the "Digital Generation"dilema. By sitting and observing what everyone is discussing in class I can safely say that the class truly cares about their students and wants to make changes in the classroom in the future. The second idea that bugs me is the statement in the summary points which states the following: "older teachers are frustrating their students with the lack of understanding." Now I am sure there are some teachers maybe who are near retirement and do not want to learn because they feel they will not need this information. But there are some folks that are like one of my collegues at school she is retiring here in June and in the last five years has taught many technology classes in our building and in the district. Then, there are two other teachers on our staff half Barb's age that do not have a clue at what is going on and one is not teaching the curriculum she is required to teach at her grade level. [|teaching the oldies video] Lastly, on a more postive note I do agree with the statement on page 97 of our book that states: " It's not enough just to use digital tools as add-ons to our existing 20th century approach to instruction which is the way many teachers use digital tools today." Could this be why some teachers are shying away from some of this new technology because maybe it is seen as just another thing to do on their already long lists?

__Chapter 9:__ Mark Twain once said, “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” This quote certainly reflects the authors’ viewpoint that teachers may want to teach 21st century skills, but are “locked into a 20th century mindset of what research and learning information look like” (99). Clearly this suggests that teachers must open their minds (or imaginations) and recognize the kinds of digital tools students use and incorporate this technology into the classroom. Granted most school aged children use cell phones, video games and the Internet on a regular basis; however, this usage is, for the most part, and as the authors phrase it, “accessing information natively” (90). Meanwhile, exactly what kinds of information are students accessing? In a recent //U////SA Today// article, “’So in reality, the information that is natively being accessed by students is pretty much the same as a pre-packaged Lean Cuisine frozen entrée, or in other words, precontrived information, requiring little to no independent thinking. Sure, while it is exciting to think we live in revolutionary times that demands entirely new skills—that assumption may threaten the false choice between teaching the facts and teaching how to approach them. If the focus shifts to developing advance skills needed for these so-called future jobs (which, as the authors suggest, don’t even exist yet), then independent thinking skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity will be in jeopardy—skills that have been a factor of human growth throughout time. In fact, according to a new survey by the American Management Association (AMA), "skills such as critical thinking and problem soloving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation (the four C's) will become even more important to organizations in the future." Therefore, not only does the teacher have to create and integrate the assortment of digital tools into the classroom, but also “craft problems and tasks that will lead our students into the material in the curriculum” (101). Additionally, teachers should design and implement tasks that would re-teach students how to assimilate technology and academics, instead of students “natively” depending on the Internet for answers to exam questions or handing in an essay that is a copied and pasted patchwork of someone else’s ideas. Now, Twain’s words “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” resonate with even amore profound implication—that is, in order for students to become independent thinkers, they should not depend on their eyes. .[|Article]
 * Diane**


 * Nick**

The idea of letting the students get information in a way that is native to them seems like a very plausible and easy thing to do. However, we as teachers must still be vigilant and mindful of what our students are doing with the digital tools they are now using in schools to get the information they need. Teachers need to learn along with the students in how information is retrieved today because we all have to be careful and make sure that the students are looking in the right places and for the right information. Also, students as well as teachers need to learn how to find information quickly. Simply Googling something is not going to be enough because the topic that is Googled may have hundreds, thousands, or even millions of web sites and other sources that have to be weeded through to find relevant information. This is not something we had to do 10 to 15 years ago as the author suggests. We could find books on a topic and easily weed through them to find those that are relevant and those that were not. Students need to know how to refine their searches and teachers also need to know how to do this because the students will look to us for advice on how to better search for information they need. This little movie I found on youtube I think does a kind of hokey but to the point job of how technology is important for teachers to learn how to effectively implement technology in the classrooms [|teachers and tech cartoon] and the following cartoons I just think are funny but illustrate just how much our students and kids are becoming digital natives at very early ages as well as how quickly information is passed around via the technology kids are using today. [|funny stuff]


 * Adam**

After reading this chapter, I fully agree with the author. I can agree with Cindy's displeasure about the statement: "older teachers are frustrating their students with the lack of understanding" to a certain extent. However, I think it's safe to say that the author is not simply targeting more experienced educators, rather, educators that do not adequately utilize the digital resources readily available in a way that positively affects the students learning. I think he's just pointing out the problem (disconnect) between educators and students, and the methods of teaching from the 20th (or before) Century to those of the 21st (and future) Centuries. I feel the author is not attempting to single out teachers by age or experience, more of their ability, and more importantly, their willingness to adapt their teaching styles and mindsets to better equip today's students.

We've all been asked the question, "What does the 21st Century student look like?" But in all honesty, how many times have we asked, "What does the 21st Century EDUCATOR look like?" Check out this wiki site that was published with details about the different facets, or paths, the 21st Century Educator looks like.

21st Century Teacher

The site gives detailed descriptions of what the 21st Century educator does, and is able to do. Also, note the "equations" that show what happens when you only add particular elements into the equation of leadership.

I think this chapter reviewed a lot of what the past chapters discussed. Things have changed pretty rapidly in the decade-there are so many online tools that we have to gain information and stay connected with others. I think kids today are immediately drawn into technology. I recently had 2 meetings with parents, when I shared with them they will be getting a handout so they can go online and have their child complete activities for practice they both responded that their child loves to go on the computer. It makes sense to allow students to access information in a native way. On page 89, the text says, “First there is great power in new digital tools to communicate and accomplish tasks in ways that are completely outside the experience of older people.” I don’t know this is fair to say, it seems more of a stereotype than anything. I wonder what age group they are referring to? That can also be subjective depending who you ask. Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students
 * Felicia**

I agree with Felicia that this chapter is a recap of the previous chapters. I am starting to get frustrated reading this book because the authors keep telling us the same information. We have, by now, read enough information to understand the positive effects technology can have in our classroom. What I would like to see from these authors are concrete examples that teachers can use. They were talking about the "older" teachers and how they need to step into the 21st century; then I think they should be offering suggestions of what those, and other teachers, can do. A lot of the reasons people do not implement technology is because they don't know how. I think it would be great if these authors would revise their book to include specific examples for teachers to help them begin to venture into this "new world". Here is a site that would help those teachers.

I agree with Jen, Chapter 9 felt like the 9th different way they said the same information. That is, is the second part of the chapter. It could have easily been split up into twp parts. I'll start with the second, more boring part because that was the stuff we already knew. In fact, that part of the chapter is the reason we are in this class. We are all trying to put more technology into our lessons so I would warn the authors not to make blanket statements about "older" teachers. I don't think age is the main issue, but how stubborn and set in their ways some teachers can be. The first part of the chapter is what interested me. I enjoyed reading about the stories, the actual ways this technology has been used to benefit real people in real life scenarios. I think the authors' next book should just be a compilation of stories like this one about the use of technology and how it benefits today's society.
 * Doug**