Technology in the Classroom; Final Thoughts

Technology in the classroom - What's Next?

With the increase of technology in the world and the shrinking of our Earth in a global market our schools are forced to make some drastic changes in order to keep up with the ever-changing, increasingly competitive world.
I believe this course has developed my technological skills to a great degree. Often times when I start something new I find myself with the feeling of, the more I know the less I understand. I have come full circle with this feeling to the point where I really know how to blog, make podcasts, and start and maintain a wiki. As a teacher these are skills I can put to use in my classroom right away.
I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process in one significant way; I realize that there is a shift from teacher as an information giver to student as an information gatherer. The Role of the teacher is changing. The teachers of tomorrow will simply show where information can be found, what to do with it, and keep track of the student’s scores. I believe the traditional days of teacher lecture classroom are over.
I think the best way to expand my knowledge is to never stop searching for new ways to do things. Instead of totally revamping the old way, I try to find little changes to make as I go. This is a great way to find out what works and what does not. This is also a nice way to find out if the new technology will increase student’s achievement, which is my overall, number one goal.
My first long term goal is to continue to find new ways to implement technology in my classroom. This will include student collaboration projects with the technology I have in my classroom right now. It is great to think of all the things I can do if I had more gadgets, however, it is unrealistic to think that I will have all these things in the future. My next goal is to continue the fundraising efforts in my district to bring the new techno gadgets to our school. We have already raised enough money to put an LCD projector in every classroom, and we have plans for more items in the upcoming months. Perhaps, in the upcoming years I can have a smart board and a document projector to use in my classroom as well.
While schools districts remain rigid and tied to traditional beliefs, the responsibility of this technological shift falls in the laps of the teachers. On top of all the other things teachers have to do, this just gets tacked on the bottom of an already long list. But can we really afford not to take action?