Teaching: The Next Generation
Technology integration is an important part of teaching 21st century students.
By Lynsey Peterson
I recently read an article about the things that babies born this year will never experience. It made me think about how much each generation is changing because of technological innovation. As teachers, we must be aware of these changes, if we are going to continue to reach students and prepare them for the world.
Technology gives us many useful tools, but also presents problems for educators. It means that we must also be learners, constantly integrating new things into our old routine. We must also determine ways to regulate the technology our students have. As we try to keep their attention, we compete with many other influences. While this generation is one of multi-taskers, we must also teach them the benefits of sustained interest.
In class, teachers used to be the main event, only competing with the occasional note-passing. Now our students are plugged in. Tiny music players concealed in hoodies and phones texting in laps can cause discipline issues. Smart phones have changed things even more, replacing watches, newspapers, games, maps, cameras, and even encyclopedias with one small hand-held device. In just the past year, I told a student to put her phone away and she told me she was working on her project for my class. Believe it or not, she was! She was searching the Internet and working on a PowerPoint, all from her phone. While regulating and disciplining students regarding technology use are important, educators must also realize that as the students change, so must we.
Once they have mastered early learning skills, forcing students to memorize facts, rather than understanding processes, is not going to inspire them. Any fact that they can just ‘Google’ will be ignored or memorized just long enough to pass a test. Students have a wealth of information at their fingertips anytime, anywhere. As educators, we must teach them critical thinking and problem solving skills so they can sort through the information and determine things for themselves. Project-based learning, as a result, will become even more important in teaching tomorrow’s students.
These students will also make greater use of the expanding world of online learning. Through the use of technology such as Moodle, Skype, and Jing, teachers can educate their students without ever meeting face-to-face.
The technology changes we are experiencing are both a cause and effect of a changing world. We no longer need a workforce prepared for assembly line factory jobs. The new demand is for employees who can solve problems, work well with others, and think critically about data. Try some of these lessons to inspire your students and yourself to learn about and apply technology.
Technology and the Environment
Students examine how technology has transformed the physical environment and identify connections between economic development and environmental change. They debate whether the advantages of technology outweigh the harmful impact on the environment.
Students Help Teachers Learn Technology
Students discover the use of technology in education. In this learning resources lesson, students create presentations of PDA's and GPS devices to educate their teachers on the latest technological advances. Students demonstrate the devices for teachers and parents.
Technology-Lesson 2-Resolving Issues
Students define resolution. They explain the relationship between probe size and resolution and explain why information in three dimensions is necessary to describe the structure of an object.
Students participate in an activity in which they must reach candy that has been placed far away from them, using only items they have brought to class. They discuss the correlation between technology, invention, and need as they apply to the activity.
Science and Technology in Society
Students research scientific discoveries and technological innovations. They organize discoveries and innovations in life, environmental, physical, earth and space science categories. They analyze impact of selected discoveries and innovations in terms of personal, community, national or global perspectives.
Students list comparisons between technology and nature. Then they create superheroes with special animal adaptations and describe how ordinary persons might replicate the adaptations with technology.
