I chose this video titled "Understand the Technology" because it really struck a chord in me about the integration of technology in schools and the recent popularity of online classrooms. David Lefever explains that if you're a good teacher, you can most likely be a good teacher everywhere but that to be a really great teacher online you really need to understand the technology and how to integrate that for students. Although technology has become an integral part of our lives and most of us use it daily, understanding how it works and how it can positively impact students is important if educators are to really get the most out of it. He says towards the end of the video that "technology has to be used for a reason...you have to consider what value that technology brings to the message you're trying to deliver" (PCU World Campus Faculty Development, 2010). This is important because technology integration is important in our schools but I feel like sometimes administrators and teachers are just implementing technology because they can and don't really understand how they can use it in a meaningful way. Administrators and teachers need to be provided with professional development courses so they can understand what technology can do for themselves and their students. Giving iPads to students is not going to further engage them or teach them anything innovative if the teacher does not use it effectively.
When I was student teaching, the library in the school didn't have desktop computers, they only provided laptops for students. The idea was great in that students could check out the laptops and take them home if they wanted to or teachers could check them out for their classrooms. The major problem I found is that the laptops were terribly slow and it took 15-20 minutes of lab time just to get them turned on and functional for students. While it was a great idea in hindsight, very few students actually checked out the laptops, no teacher had ever brought them into their classroom during class time and the slowness and difficulty to upgrade the laptops made them practically unused during the school year. This is a good point of technology being integrated without the necessary steps to really understand how it might affect students or faculty.
I found an interesting article about how the Verizon Foundation is investing $100 million in teachers and professional development programs to help with technology programs and to boost STEM achievement in school. Verizon is giving teachers and faculty the tools necessary to understand how to use the technology before they dive in head first into a technology program (Verizon, 2014). This provides for a more meaningful instruction with computers in my mind.
References
PSU World Campus Faculty Development (2010). Understanding the Technology - Lefever. Digital video. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Esyh1RwcU&list=PL10135682177CBD2D&index=31
Verizon. (2014). Verizon Foundation Expands Investment in Education to Spur Greater Use of Technology in Improving Students' STEM Achievement [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140204-904714.html
