Paul's Place of Musings and Insights

the reflections of a techno-meddling teacher

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Musings of an emerging IT Integrator

Laptops are not enough

Laptops are not enough

As a class teacher, I constantly see opportunities for me to use technology in the classroom in a meaningful way. The application of new tools into an educational setting is a challenge at times, but a challenge that I am happy to take on. I have just attended my first conference, where I met about a hundred other teachers who were taking on, to various levels of success, the same challenge.

What I learnt the most at this conference was not how to use social networking technology as part of a literacy program or how to make podcasts more relevant, but learning that I was not the only one who was facing what I perceive as the biggest challenge for ICT integrators – convincing others that it is worthwhile exchanging tried and tested, ‘traditional’ methods for this ‘new fandagled computer business.’

As I reflected on the conference over the weekend, it occurred to me that I had been thinking that the point of using technology in the classroom was to enhance educational objectives – ie, satisfying prescribed curricula. What I now realise is that using such technology is now the ‘norm’ and as educators, we must use it in the classroom and the transition from ‘old’ to ‘new’ is indeed the underlying challenge of integrators.

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