There was an interesting article in the Sun Herald this weekend (click here to read the article). In it they point out that 2 out of the top 12 primary schools in NSW Australia actively discourage the use of technology in the classroom. Both Schools use the Rudolf Steiner philosophy of education which embraces the thought that “Electronic media are believed…to hamper seriously the development of the child’s imagination – a faculty which is central to the healthy development of the individual.”
I must admit that I am a fan of using technology in the classroom. In fact in April I have been selected to be a participant in a select few teachers from around the world to be trained at the Google Teacher Academy as a Google Certified Teacher. This will allow me to train teachers in how to use the wide variety of free applications available to them in their classrooms.
What I love about these results:
But what I love about these results is the how they demonstrate that teachers need to have what I like to call an ‘and’ mentality rather than an ‘or’ mentality. Too often teachers feel that in order to be effective teachers they need to keep up with the latest in innovation and teaching methods causing them to jump on the latest idea or fad and throw out what has always worked in the classroom. They mistakenly think that they can do this OR that.
“What these results show is that quality teaching is not driven by technology – but…here’s a thought…teachers who care.”
My advice would be:
Don’t resist change. But at the same time don’t pursue change to the detriment of what works for you. In other words have an ‘and’ not an ‘or’ mindset.
By the way if you would be interested in receiving some training on how to use Google applications in your school or classroom click here.
