In a word, engagement. Remember that word; you'll be hearing it a lot in educational discussions.

     In the 21st Century, technology is no longer some whiz-bang amazement, designed to dazzle and impress. Technology is an integral part of everything we do. It's more than computers and cell phones and personal digital assistants - technology has revolutionized the way we develop, disseminate, and process information. Your students have known technology all their lives; they’ve never lived without digital music and texting and chat and e-mail. They use it, they understand it, they live it. Technology is part of who they are. YouTube, Facebook and MySpace are merely the most recent tools they use to express themselves. An entirely new world of knowledge has become available, knowledge that if properly used can redefine how learning occurs.

      But technology can be part of who YOU are, too. Educational Technology multiplies your efforts. It engages your students, makes them an active participant in the learning process instead of a passive recipient of random information. Josh McHugh (2005) puts it like this:

     Teachers in every strata of education are increasingly dealing with a student population that is not only more wired than they are but also grew up in a techno-drenched atmosphere that has trained them to absorb and process information in fundamentally different ways. This generation of students is more likely to be armed with cell phones, laptops, and iPods than with spiral notebooks and No. 2 pencils.

     Using technology in your classroom is like having a roomful of assistants who follow your every direction without complaint or question. The effective use of educational and other technology in a student-centered learning environment can improve student skills acquisition, critical thinking, subject matter expertise, and real-world coping abilities. Technology can literally help you become a better teacher, and it certainly can make your students better learners.

      If you're reading this, you obviously know how to use a computer. But do you know anyone who says things like:

"I've done this the same way for 30 years..."

"I'll just never get the hang of computers..."

"My students know more about computers than I do..."

"I'll have to get my 8-year-old to show me how to use this thing..."

    Fear of the unknown is certainly common enough, but we're supposed to be life-long learners, setting the example for our students. Can we realistically expect them to develop an affinity for learning if we actively avoid anything that takes us outside our personal comfort zone? One study found that almost 30% of the teachers surveyed did not use computers in the delivery of curriculum, even though there was a computer in the classroom. How could that be? For good or bad, our students model our behaviors. If we demonstrate our own thirst for knowledge and a willingness to try new concepts, some of our students just may follow our lead. Let's make sure the example we set is the right one. In this day and age there is no excuse for NOT knowing how to use a computer and everything it can do. Business, industry, government and military organizations have used communications and other technology for decades. Why do schools and educators - supposedly in the vanguard of new ideas - fight it? Why is this still being debated?

      It is far too common for educators to perceive technology as an adjunct to the educational process instead of incorporating it as a basic element in learning. It's not enough to just have computers - we have to know how to really use the capabilitiues they contain. Educational technology is most effective when it is integrated throughout the instructional design process. Mark Gura, coauthor of Recapturing Technology for Tomorrow’s Classroom Today and former director of instructional technology for New York City Public Schools, says that “unless the content area instructional specialists ... begin to assume the role of primary cheerleader, technology will remain a curiosity or add-on.” Instructional technologists are by definition supporters, not drivers, of the process – the primary responsibility for effectively integrating technology into curriculum falls on those designing that curriculum. But classroom technology is certainly not limited to specific subjects or methods. There are resources already available that can benefit every stakeholder in the educational process. 

     I know, I know - your school or district makes it so very hard to use computers in your teaching practice. Your equipment is outdated, you can't get the programs you want, you have to schedule time in the computer lab, etc., etc., etc. The fact is that most classrooms, and virtually all schools, are wired and equipped for modern technology in some respect. You have to learn how to maximize the resources that you DO have.

     Keep in mind that technology is not an end unto itself; it is merely one of many tools you can use to improve learning and communication. While the invention of personal computers was certainly revolutionary, most developments since then have been evolutionary - they are usually just improvements on past practices. Remember the cell phones of the 90's? The size of a brick with a weight to match. From a user's perspective, even the most advanced phones are just much better versions of that. Apple's IPhone has managed to put a cell phone, music, video, a camera, pictures, and Internet access into a tiny package. It was just a matter of time, though.

     And technology will not replace the classroom teacher. Your role may change from didact to facilitator, but there will always be the need for someone to help the students make sense of what they are learning, to plan and organize and keep the students properly directed. The purpose, direction, and motivation (those three things are the definition of leading) will still start with you.

     Our charter as educators is to develop curriculum and other systems that draw on the electronic nature of modern life to enhance learning. We stand a much better chance of actively engaging students in the learning process if we speak their language. Whether you’re a computer rookie or a real power user, Teacher Technology Forum can be your admission ticket to a new world of teaching and learning.