Rethinking Schools Online

I really enjoyed this article and found myself finding similarities and differences between myself and my classroom. When my generation was in school, the media we used didn't compare to today's generation. My classroom back then was way different. We didn't have projectors, smart-boards, digital cameras, digital recorders, and elmos like today's generation. This is what sets this generation apart from other generations and it will continue to get more and more technology based. If students and teachers are not up to date on their tech skills, they will be left behind. Today, when I see that tenured teachers are not up to par with their first-class skills, it bothers me because I know its just going to get more complicated. I can't imagine myself not being up to date on the latest tech and I told myself if I do, I'm going to kick myself. This article was pretty eye awakening for me because I am exactly like the author. I use my computer to get lesson plans, take attendance, create notes for home, and reply to emails. There are times when I do feel guilty because it didn't used to be like that. Now that we have our own laptops, we tend to spend more time on them. Although it is necessary, I still feel guilty. The computer creates a boundary between my students and I. I just got email accounts for my students with the hopes of getting my students to write more. After reading this article, I am wondering what will actually happen. Like the author pointed out, things aren't always what they appear to be. This article made me more interested in current research on technology in the classroom, specifically how it affects our personal communication with each other.