The Observations of a Technology Teacher

September 19, 2007 In Awe...
The journey that I have set out on as a technology teacher has be an awe inspiring one. Standing on the edge of a new society of learners and pretending to teach them skills that they most naturally would learn in their social world is a dream come true. It's been a long time since I've journal-ed (bb -before blogs) but this is such an important trip and one that will be filled with insights and observations that I want to share.

I am teaching in Howard County in a brand new position as an Elementary Technology Teacher. We have access to an online curriculum guide called eTigs but one of the best parts of September in this new position is the constant stream of "tech toys" that have been arriving at the schools. A cart of 30 macbooks, the podcast camera, 7 digital cameras, a DV recorder, LCD projector, PRS (clicker) system, etc... And then we have the software that came loaded on the mobile lab which includes Boardmaker, Comic Life, and Pixie to name a few.

I am one of only a handful of teachers who are new to the county system. Most of the 50+ tech ed teachers are internal transfers...folks who have been integrating technoloy into their classroom settings for years. I've been spending 12 hours a day "playing" with all the new "stuff" we've received. Re-learning Mac shortcuts, playing with Wiki's and Google docs, learning how the HC network works, United Streaming...the list goes on and on.

But what scares me most right now....four weeks into the school year is next year. Today my Kindergarten class created individual ABC books using a PowerPoint template. The speed in which they learned to cut and stretch clipart amazed me. Now...I am planning for next year...after nearly 40 hours in the computer lab and the minds of digital natives, I may not be able to keep up. The changes that will take place over the next year...with children as well as the teaching staff is sure to be astronimical and I don't want to miss a nanoscecond of it!