Posted by Kim Knapp on Jun 25, 2017; 7:18pm
URL: https://nabble.aealearningonline.org/Topic-4-Narrative-Voice-tp3794p8373.html

Does technology create more problems than it solves?  Yeah, sometimes maybe.  But, being a teacher in the 21 Century we have to create an atmosphere in our classrooms that is pro technology.  Teachers must overcome the negativity of technology in the classroom and get with the times.  Teachers must learn the ins and outs of technology themselves in order to have success in a technological classroom.  How do we stay one step ahead of our students who have been born into a technology based world?  This is a scary predicament for teachers.  Especially when many of our students are more tech savvy than we are.

Educate ourselves!!  That's how we do it!  Technology in classrooms is not a problem, if we as teachers, embrace it.  There are many classes offered through our own districts, AEA's, and state/private colleges that we can learn from.  The key is to start small.  Begin with one class and try implementing the ideas we have learned into our own classrooms.  Once  we start, there is no turning back.  Technology is not going away and we have to be able to understand it, teach it, and be the support system for our students as they use it.  

Why not learn from our students?  Classroom chemistry is huge in a good learning environment.  We, as teachers, can definitely learn from our kiddos.  When we are stuck on something that involves technology, ask students for help!! Many times they will know the answer and  when a student can help out a teacher, how awesome is that?  So many great things can happen when we are able to work together.

Educate our students!!  Even though our kids have been born into technology, many do not know how to use technology properly.  They have winged it and self taught themselves their entire lives.  Many do not know how to use Word or PowerPoint.  Many have not been taught the proper size, font, and spacing to type essays.  This is something teachers take for granted.  We think students already know these things.
 When teachers assume that students already know these things and create a lesson around it, it causes some major headaches.  The preteaching needs to be done ahead of time in order to find out what our students already know and don't know.  Remember, too, there are going to be a few students that have not had much experience with technology and their learning curve is going to be much higher.

Honestly, technology can be a huge problem if you teach in a district that isn't prepared for it.  Having enough computers for every student in your classroom is a must.  It's very hard to build a 21st Century classroom without the computers to do so.  Proper internet connection and bandwith is also critical.  Teaching with technology will be very frustrating for you and your students if your district is poorly equipped for the change.  

All in all, technology being a problem in the classroom is up to us as educators.  If we educate ourselves and our students properly technology could end up being the best thing we can do for our students.  Technology is the real world and our job, as teachers, is to prepare our kids for the real world.