Chp. 9: new schools

I have read the Marc Prenksy article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants as a requirement for other tech classes this year. As we discussed the article in class, there were teachers who found the article offensive and derogatory toward the teaching profession and all teachers in general. However I think Marc Prensky offers a fresh view that could revitalize teachers and enable students to succeed. I find the article to be inspiring, encouraging, and a reminder of what is important when in the position of educating students in today's society.

This chapter explains (just as Mark Prensky does in the article mentioned above) that students "are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach." This profound statement must shape how educators design curriculum and reach out to students if we expect to increase achievement. Instead of teaching in the way we have always taught, we as teachers need to be ready to make a shift. Students need to be provided with tools that motivate them to participate, enrich their learning experiences , and empowers them to comprehend in a more profound way.

Of course in order to teach in this way, educators require the following...
1. A Positive Attitude - teachers must be willing to grow and learn new things
2. Time - learning new things takes time and patience
3. Effort - new challenges can be hard work
4. Availability of Tools - teachers need to be able to get their hands on technology tools
2. Professional Development - teachers need to be trained on how to use the tools
3. Student Enrichment Ideas - teachers need to be trained on how to best infuse the technology tools into daily instruction

The above requirements are often seen as road blocks by teachers. However, I have had the experience this past school year of participating in a grant program that I believe removes the barriers and helps teachers cross over into the realm of becoming a 21st century educator. I am speaking of the Anchorage School District's Technology Teacher Leader program.

I was an ASD TTL 6 grant recipient and I believe that the program addresses all of the problem areas that I mentioned above. Teachers who have the desire to learn more about technology and who are willing to put in the time and effort, recieve money to purchase technology tools to enhance instruction and enrich their students' learning experiences. Throughout the TTL process, grant recipients are provided with numerous training opportunities to learn how to best use the tools they received, as well as how to use them in an enriching way in order to increase student achievement.