As our society becomes more technologically oriented, our world continues to shrink. We have global access to all varieties of information with the click of a mouse. Because of this phenomena called the Technology Age, my vision for the future is technology-based education. In order for this to work, there needs to be appropriate application supporting curriculum-based objectives. I vision a strong emphasis on student creativity and expression of ideas in multiple formats with different points of entry into a project for students working at different ability levels. Secondary students (as well as elementary and junior high students) spend hours online every day and are web literate. However, when it comes to accessing resources for research papers, school projects, test preparation and college and career planning, these same students need to be guided to the best web sites for appropriate learning. These web sites need to be quickly located while supporting independent learning and thinking, research, and technologically sound educational practices. In addition students need an opportunity to collaborate with each other. What could be more exciting than global interactionlearning first hand from another student what life, culture, food (to name a few) is like on the other side of the globe. Many educators have asked, what about standardized tests? Educators can peruse a standardized test and use it as a base, creating unique, individual lesson plans as enhancement tools. When doing this, each students special abilities can be taken into consideration as they are taken from the literal stage, then to the interpretive stage and finally to the stage where they are able to apply what they have learned. It is critical that the more independence, self-direction and high quality work expected from students, the more detailed the built in guidance becomes. Part of a student's education today must include technology. With all the information on the Internet, they need to know how to define, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create, and communicate information effectively. Copyright 2005 By Pamela L. Beers. All rights reserved. |
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