This is my initial blog for my Instructional Technology class at Austin Peay State University. Although I look forward to my journey into the world of applying technology in today's classroom, I must confess that I have gotten off to a rocky start. I went to the listed "7 1/2 habits of life-long learners" website to complete the assignment for Thing #1 and could not get the audio to work no matter what I tried. However, no worries, the slide show worked just fine. Below are my thoughts to the "7 1/2 habits" presentation.
I, as most educators would agree, am a strong advocate of the life-long learner approach toward life, not just education. Learning is not a static activity and neither is any body of knowledge. New evidence is always surfacing, new technologies are always emerging, and theories are always being tested. It seems as if nothing is absolute. (Anyone else out there remember when Pluto was considered one of the nine planets in our solar system?) The information revolution of the 21st century demands a flexible and open-minded approach.
The "7 1/2 habits of life-long learning" presentation is an effective checklist that serves as a reminder on how to better approach life in general. The easiest of the habits for me to identify with is number 2, accept responsibility for your own learning. I regularly hear many students complain how others, not just teachers, are not giving them all of the material (read as "answers"). Students must take initiative in the learning process, and that starts with accepting responsibility.
The hardest habit for me to incorporate in my life is number 6, use technology to your advantage. This is not because I do not like to learn new things. It is because, and I suspect I am not alone, I am hesitant to learn something that will be obsolete as soon as I incorporate it into my life. This does not mean that I am afraid of technology or do not use it, but it does cause me to be a late adopter of whatever the new it is. (Anybody regret all those hours figuring out and posting on myspace?) I also think that the realm of education is so desperate to incorporate technology in the class room that it becomes a crutch instead of better preparing students for the future. I have seen way too many classes where a chalkboard and chalk would have been much more engaging than the obligatory PowerPoint presentation with accompanying PowerPoint Notes handouts. I think the a better way to word habit #6 is "effectively use technology to your students' advantage."
Overall, I do think the 7 1/2 habits of life-long learning is a very effective approach to incorporating anything new into your classroom, technology included. I look forward to using this approach while learning more about Web 2.0 tools in order to effectively apply technology in my classroom.
I share your thoughts in regard to habit 6. I've never had to have the latest and greatest in technology. I've always thought it better to wait it out and be sure all the kinks are worked out. Not to mention, it gets cheaper too!
ReplyDeleteI feel like technology is an important aspect in the classroom,but I don't feel that it is required to have an effective lesson.
From what I have seen on my observations lack of initiative seems to be an issue across the board. Walking into a classroom ten years after I left the public school system is comparable to landing on an alien planet. The students seem to have no interest in school and plenty interest in everything else. I believe encouraging students to take responsibility for their education needs to be step one when pursuing success. It is good that you have a strong concept of personal responsibility to pass on to your students.
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