How can we be productive in this society, if our school system does not teach us how to use the tools we will need to be successful?This is the mission statement of my school district:
__________________ Public Schools, in partnership
with family, and community, will provide equal opportunities through standards-based and individualized curriculum where all students become productive citizens and life-long learners in a globally diverse society.
It seems like all the school system has done to get into technology is get a couple Promethean Smart Boards and hope the teachers figure out how to use them. How much training have our teachers received on how to use and teach the tools we need? Are we taught about blogging? How about using things like Google Docs to create, store and share files online? The answer would be no.
In reality, our classrooms are not just 20-30 students anymore. Our classroom has moved beyond the actual physical space. Using technology correctly allows the entire world to serve as our classroom. If our teachers were taught these tools, and in turn showed us how to use them, one day we could collaborate with students anywhere in the world which would put us on the right track to becoming global students.
A problem we face is that teachers are not being forced to change the way they teach and as a result students are losing out. We are not learning the tools that we need for us to be competitive in a global society. The tools and technology we need to learn is not exactly new. They have been around for a long time. Teachers have no excuse for not being digitally literate. When is my school going to realize that we are getting further and further behind? When are they going to start providing educational opportunities that fall under the mission statement?
