Communication Evolution

In reading through posts on the Integrating Technology and Literacy blog and 

the blogs of my colleagues I found myself wondering two things:

1. How will technologies change education as we know it? 

and

2. When will local governments/districts accept these changes and provide teachers with the support they need to integrate the available tools into the learning environment?

My first question popped into my head when I was reading Judy's post about the New York Times article:  Education Needs a Digital Upgrade. Its hard to imagine what changes will occur because education is so slow to make any type of change in the first place. It seems as though by the time a change has occurred it is already outdated. For example, schools that may have purchased new computers five or so years ago are now missing out on the conveniences of a rolling cart of thirty iPads. Just check out this timeline of technology starting at the turn of the century from the blog Dusty World in a post about Forecasting the 2015 Classroom.

How can districts even afford to keep up with the changes? I am in complete agreement that it is the job of teachers to transform the mind of a child into a "global citizen" that is ready to be a member of the 21st century workforce. But how can you mold a student and prepare them for something that we have not yet heard of? Teachers, it seems, need to be competent users of all the newest tools and technologies in order to turn-key our learning to the next generation.

This brings me to my second thought. If society is asking teachers to be prepared and willing to participate in an education make-over, then other questions need to be addressed and answers need to be constructed. I don't believe we should be scrutinizing teachers for not using enough technology or not using it in the right ways, but the watchful eye needs to be evaluating the opportunities local governments and districts are proposing for teachers to learn about these tools and develop these competencies. I briefly commented about this on Brian's World because similarly I have been excited to try new things with my students. In my own school, I see a lot of technology being wasted and 9 times out of 10 it is not because teachers do not see the benefits or motivation technology instills in children; it is mostly because the teachers have not had the time to be exposed to how the tools can supplement their lessons and they are also not given the time to try out the new skills or collaborate with peers.

Does your school have access to updated technology?

Do you see the technology in your school being used effectively? 

How much support are your districts providing you with in this implementation shift?

and

If you are not in the education field, how is technology changing your line of work?