Is+It+Okay+for+Teachers+to+be+Technicallogically+Illiterate+in+2009?



Teachers are open-minded. Teachers are knowledgeable. Teachers are good communicators. Teachers are bridges to the future. TEACHERS ARE TECHNOLOGICALLY LITERATE IN 2009!

As we can see in the cartoon at the right, kids in 2009 get technology.  In so far as all teachers have deficits that limit progress for students and assets that enhance student learning, it is a huge deficit for a teacher to be technologically illiterate in 2009. All teachers, everyone by nature of their positions as educators, are familiar with a computer, the internet, researching, and producing power points. Maybe the criteria is Web 2.0. Using that as criteria for literacy, it is not acceptable for teachers to be illiterate about technology in 2009 because technology is the key to accessing information, working collaboratively, and contributing to the general knowledge base. As we have seen in   ** Engaging Students with Social Media **, the tools available to us are substantive and extremely necessary for sifting through and making sense of the information that is expanding exponentially. If we aren’t as a teaching body excited about the growth of technology, our students who are extremely engaged in social media will blow by us and may even find us irrelevant.
 * To be a teacher in today's classroom with no interest or ability in technology would be like living in another universe from your students, colleagues, and opportunities that surround them. So much of education comes from making connections, and using technology allows these connections to occur frequently and in original, thought-provoking ways.

Teachers are responsible for meeting the needs of all learners. With opportunities for audio, visual, and tactile-based learning available through technology like podcasts, flickr, and wikispace, student's needs and interests can be addressed effectively.

Teachers are also charged with preparing their students for their future goals. What student is ready for the colleges of today or the careers of tomorrow if never given the chance to explore technology and how to best use it in the classroom? While the breadth and depth of "screen-based" technology might expand as students get older, even the youngest students can benefit from the individualized and sharing-based learning opportunities presented through technology. Certainly all students will benefit from the opportunities for shared lesson ideas, resource material, and teaching techniques their teachers will experience through technoliteracy! Check out this site by Vicki A. Davis on the need to teach with technology: [|http://www.youtube.com/v/CNVFuPJyN1Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"> <param]

To help all teachers reach the point of technological proficiency, training opportunities should be frequent and easily available. District experts must be easily accessible. Time and resouces for idea sharing must be continual. Perhaps financial incentives could be implemented for those who demonstrate proficiency or who volunteer to help others reach it. Administrators could look for a balanced approach to technology in unit lesson plans. Teachers would come aboard more enthusiastically if the school facilities, personnel, and policies were supportive of technology education and use. This such a significant skill area that teachers have to be provided with training in order to be brought up to speed. It is mandatory for all teachers to have basic computing competencies. We have laptops, palm pilots, blackberries (in some cases) smart boards, projectors and training should be available with easy access. Join [|**www.classroom20.com**/] to communicate with other professional and dive into the Web 2.0 experience.

The biggest incentive for expanded technoliteracy among teachers will be the change in energy levels within their classrooms--go for it!!!!

(Christine-blueink; Jenn-black)