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New Day, New Way
by Renee Owens

OMG…What has become of our dictionaries? Hot off the presses - LOL, FYI and OMG were added to the Oxford English Dictionary.  As an English teacher, I am not sure how I feel about this – progress or regress?  However, what cannot be denied is that technology has changed our language, our lives and our schools.  As a veteran teacher of 19 years, it has been a change I have embraced.  Admittedly, I willingly participated in district technology programs and was willing to write a grant to be one of the first teachers in our district to go 1-1.  However, I would not be categorized as overly zealous. I had a number of questions and concerns that made me tip-toe into this - not run blindly.  In a future post, I will share this process.

In addition to drawing out the enthusiasts, the use of technology in schools has brought out the skeptics who have claimed “these tools will do more harm than good, decrease attention span, and make students lazy”; the resisters who have stated “I am not going to the training, it will be something new next year, this is just yet another initiative”; and those who are reluctant have asked “How will technology improve reading and math scores?, Will we lose instructional time using the technology?, Am I going to be successful using these tools that are new to me?”.   All of this leading up to the big question:  Why do we need to change?  Students have changed, so it seems logical that our schools would need to change – why not bring the tools in students’ lives into schools? 

As we bring the tools that engage students outside of school into the four walls of the classroom, we are at the same time preparing our students for jobs that do not exist.  Last year at “Back-to School” night, we showed our parents the Did You Know Video?, and although some of the information running in the tickers was not totally accurate {former Secretary of Education Richard Riley quoted in a book titled: The Jobs Revolution: Changing How America Works that the top 10 jobs of 2004 would not exist in 2010 (Fact or Fiction? Maintaining Credibility)}, it gets across the message that Riley and the video had intended:  change is happening – and quickly.  I do not know about you, but I think we have a responsibility to prepare our students, and technology is involved in that preparation.

 Technology tools can develop thinking skills, enhance problem-solving skills, and encourage collaboration.  My district, like others, has decided that technology is part of our strategic plan – our vision to be a better school. Furthermore, I have read a lot about the engagement factor of technology, the increased amount of ownership, and the opportunity for collaboration.  Students will buy into the technology tools that are fun, new, and challenging.  From my experience, students will jump at the chance to have a voice, choice, and time allowing them to work more with others – particularly outside of the school walls: “sign me up” – as many of my students say. 

So if technology can prepare our students, make them want to come to school, move them to do and go beyond their assigned work, and gets them excited to work with others; what possible questions or  concerns could I have? Honestly, it is not the technology I am worried about; it is the use of technology that concerns me.  These tools will only hold their attention/interest for so long – then it will be on to something else.  If we want technology to make the difference -to really change education for the better, we need to remember that it must be embedded into effective instruction - engaging, authentic, collaborative, substantial lessons infused in best practice. As Robert Frost said “…that will make all the difference.”  (In future posts, we will explore this together.)

As I was finishing this post, I paused for a moment to watch my three-year-old daughter put together a puzzle.  She is interested in each little piece for a while, but she soon needs to see how it connects to another piece. As she continues to work on it, she realizes that her older brother has taken one of her pieces – without it she cannot see the whole picture.  In her sweet, but assertive voice she lets him know, “I need that piece!”  Don’t our students deserve to see the whole picture?  Don’t they deserve all the pieces?  IMHO, I say - Yes!

About Renee

Renee Owens, mother of two, teaches 8th grade Communication Arts (1-1) at Hershey Middle School in Chocolatetown, PA. PA Keystone Tech. Integrator/ Mentor, Glogster Ambassador and a DEN STAR. A fanatic Steelers and Penguins fan, a loyal Pirates fan, a lover of reading, writing, teaching, technology and learning – always learning. Follow her on Twitter @rowens1.