Blog Post #12

Assignment:
Watch the following video entitled "The Times Are A Changing." Think about the images you have seen and the music that accompanies the video. Respond by writing two or more paragraphs following the requirements in Writing a Quality Blog Post about how education is changing regarding technology. What message is being sent to teachers? In your opinion, is education changing in a timely manner, or do you think advancements in the field of technology need to be moving faster as far as education is concerned?


Response:
The video entitled "The Times Are A Changing" depicts images of how students and classrooms have progressed through the years. They show students passing notes, and then they show students texting. They show the old classrooms with desks and the traditional chalkboard hanging in the front of the room,  and then they show classrooms with computers on the desks and a interactive white board at the front of the room. They use Bob Dylan's classic song "The Times Are A Changing" to accompany the video. It fits perfectly because education is definitely changing. Anyone can walk into a modern classroom and see that computers are slowly but surely becoming a requirement for students in this age of technology. I believe the message this video sends us is that teachers must embrace technology and incorporate it into their classrooms because technology is here and it is here to stay.
I think the problem here lies with how slowly technology is being incorporated into education. This problem has to do with inadequate funding for technology in the school systems and that veteran teachers are not willing to make changes to the way they teach. Budgets for technology must be increased and professional development must include technology. Curriculum and standards must be changed to include the various forms of technology. Lesson plans and course of studies should include some form of technology with each lesson. Administration must back these new techniques because the times, they are a changing. The video ends with a great inspirational quote from John Cotton Dana, and it says, "Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." I think that should be a teacher's mantra. We must always continue to learn if we want to be great teachers!

Check out this video called "The History of Technology in Education" about the advancements made in technology over the years in regards to education. It is really an advertisement for the company that makes the Smart Board, but it is interesting to see the changes through the years.