When I got my undergrad I did not even have to take a computer class to get my BME. We did use computer for papers and music notation. There was a SMART Board in T.Berry 209 but we never got to touch it (and my Professors used it as a projector screen for notes on Power Point) . We were not prepared for the world of Technology that was out there then and there is no way we could be ready for what we have today. This brings me to this weeks question....Are teacher education programs preparing teachers for the 21st centenary classroom?
37 Comments
Keeyon Howard
10/6/2014 12:05:21 am
Although I am not a teacher of the classroom in a traditional sense, but I am a coach and the way technology is used on different levels of coaching is really impressive. The different programs that are out there now and the technology being used is preparing coaches for the 21st century. The different ways that technology is being used on a coaching level are ipads, which allows coaches to have immediate access to game film after a game or contest and also allows stat takers to take the stats much quicker than writing. Also the technology of cameras being used allows the team to be able to watch film from different angles and distances which makes it easier to evaluate different player’s techniques. Even the technology of the headsets being used has elevated with the coaching. Overall, for coaches I do feel like the technology is being used on and off the field and is continually elevating.
Reply
Nicketa Coombs
10/6/2014 02:09:43 pm
Before this class, all I heard was the negativity about technology so it's refreshing to focus on the positive aspects. I think with moderation, technology can improve quality of education and learning and also be beneficial outside of the education system as you explained. We use technology is track and field to save and record athlete's performances, review them along with timing. We don't rely on technology but we use it to our advantage.
Reply
Katie Dietzman
10/7/2014 04:08:34 am
I completely agree with you about technology in coaching. I'm completely amazed with how technology has changed sports in general. When the MLB started using instant replay to review calls I was completely against it because I am an official myself. One of the very first rules of being an official is you make your decision and you sell that decision. At times plays can be extremely close and now that I have seen it work in the MLB I find myself being okay with it!
Reply
Danell
10/7/2014 09:27:39 am
I think it's very beneficial that you can use Ipads for coaching. When I was watching Sunday football, I noticed some of the coaches manipulating and Ipad to get the Sunday's glare away. I had to laugh because sometimes little things like that are very aggervating, but the technology that it applies to the field is amazing.
Reply
Aaron Shockley
10/9/2014 05:08:46 pm
Keeyon,
Reply
Kiefer Smith
10/12/2014 01:01:44 pm
Yes there is a lot of technology that can be use on the field for review. I did not think about that earlier when I posted on another comment. You are 100% correct on the accuracy that can be used by technology and having results up fast. I should think about using more technology in my coaching for the learning of the team. But there is also the issue of time in reviewing that film and then showing it to my team. It would be hard to do all of that at the middle school level. Maybe I will be able to find some time when it comes to track.
Reply
Danell
10/6/2014 02:26:38 am
I don't think I was prepared for the classroom like I should have been. When I was at MACC for my Associates Degree, I remember taking an intro to technology. I remember thinking to myself how beneficial this will be because I will be able to prepare myself for my future classroom. I remember the class being canceled so much the teacher didn't make us make-up any homework. We also didn't use any technology it was all powerpoint and word. I remember getting nothing out of that. At CMU I recall having Smart Boards in all my classrooms, however, I don't recall, but one professor ever using it. We didn't get to use it ourselves and they didn't show us how to work it. When I started teaching I messed with my own Smart Board until I figured it out and still learn new tricks each day!
Reply
Nicketa Coombs
10/6/2014 02:00:27 pm
I also took an intro to technology class during my undergrad years but we focused on the basics; pretty much things I already knew like Microsoft Office, email and such. We didn't cover anything that was advanced or new so it wasn't very beneficial. I think teachers should utilize the technology that's available to them because this can improve learning and help the class to be more interesting. On the other hand, these teachers may not be using this technology simply because they don't know how to.
Reply
Tim Dickens
10/7/2014 04:46:50 am
I think a lot of classes are like that. I know the teacher who is teaching intro to technology now ant it has gone to computer based as well this year. The program has so many errors in it she has to do each lesson before the students so she navigate them through it. I don't think they are teaching how to use the technology at all or what is out there. There needs to be a shift in what is being taught unfortunately that shift is going to on-line classes and hands on classes
Reply
Danell
10/7/2014 09:25:42 am
I know I was a little frustrated becuase when I started teaching I wasn't sure some of the things my co-workers were refering to. I was embarrassed to ask, but I am glad I did. They were more than happy to help me! This year we got a new printer for our teacher room. I was so excited becuase I knew how to use it and gave directions to the new teachers! :)
Becky Windsor
10/11/2014 09:32:24 am
Danell, I feel the technology courses that are offered to future teachers should be revised. Whatever the school districts are currently using in their classrooms should be introduced in the teacher education program. A lot of how to use these technologies end up being learned as you use them in your own classroom, but I feel student teachers need to at least know what schools are using and have some hands-on practice before entering a classroom of their own! In my classroom, I have to learn as new technologies come along. Sometimes we get a quick training, and other time nothing. If technology is the trend for schools, colleges need to incorporate up to date courses in their classes!
Reply
Nicketa Coombs
10/6/2014 01:55:16 pm
Even though I'm not interested in teaching nor am I a teacher, I don't think I was fully prepared even as a coach. Technology is getting more advanced very quickly so it is hard to keep up with it. I think it is a 'learn as you go' kind of ordeal which isn't too promising since as teachers you're expected to be proficient in it's use so you can teach the students. I hope they start to provide training sessions, conferences, courses and other methods of teaching educators to make the best use of the technology as it is introduced.
Reply
Katie Dietzman
10/7/2014 04:11:35 am
I'm the same way I don't think coaches are prepared well. As I said in a previous post its crazy to me how much technology has changed sports. From instant replay to computers designing the best shoes for an athlete to wear. In most educational systems I feel that teachers have the basics and they try their best to learn the new equipment. However, if they don't receive adequate training on the equipment I feel that is a disservice to the students.
Reply
Conner White
10/12/2014 12:42:52 am
I agree with what you're saying. I feel like I would have to learn as I go with some of this new tech, which is embarrassing since you are suppose to be the one in charge.
Reply
Kiefer Smith
10/12/2014 12:57:14 pm
As a coach you do not need a lot of technology in order to do your job. At most you would need the internet to look up videos on how to do something or look up articles to read about it. As an educator we are all needing to jump on the band wagon about technology because it is growing very fast and the students we teach are learning it at a fast rate than we are.
Reply
Katie Dietzman
10/7/2014 03:58:10 am
I personally feel that I wasn't prepared as an undergrad. About a month after I graduated with my Bachelors I began working at a local elementary school. This school had been selected for a grant to place technology in the 4th grade classrooms. The older teachers didn't want their students to have the equipment so they placed all of the computers in 1 of the 4th grade classrooms and that teacher presented taught Language and Social Studies to all the 4th grade students. I was able to sub for that class one afternoon and ironically enough I had a 4th grade student helping me out! I felt very unprepared for that. After I had that experience as a sub I began teaching a lot of computer based lessons to my students at the Boys & Girls Club. Using the computer kept the members engaged and excited to be in that activity. I think that education programs really need to consider increasing technology in their programs. Technology won't be going away anytime soon and the farther behind our teachers get the more resistant they may be to these changes.
Reply
Rebecca Hartman
10/9/2014 06:41:56 am
I agree that students in undergrad are unprepared to use technology in classrooms. While I didn't get my degree in education, I took a few education classes and many of my friends were working toward that degree. Aside from learning basic Microsoft tools and being expected to know how to use PowerPoint effectively, the professors did not teach or use other forms of technology. With a growing interest and need for technology, it would be beneficial for it to be taught in undergrad, for many majors, not just education.
Reply
Becky Windsor
10/11/2014 09:38:24 am
Katie, Still to this day I have students who will occasionally help me with our technology! From what I am hearing, it seems that classes for students entering education are not really addressing technology like they need to be. A lot of learning how to use technology comes from trial and error in the classroom. I wish when I had been going to college I had been taught more about using technology in the classroom. Of course, there wasn't a lot of technology for me to use when I graduated. Things have really advanced over the last few years and there is so much that can be don in the classroom with technology today. Colleges need to step up and help prepare new teachers for what they will be using in their future classrooms!
Reply
Terri Dodson
10/12/2014 03:03:08 am
I agree that technology is not being addressed as it should be. I was only required to take one course and then the instructor only had time to touch on certain aspects of technology. There is just not enough time. More than one course is needed to be able to really grasp what would be beneficial to you. The future teachers definitely need to be better prepared to use technology in the classroom.
Tim Dickens
10/7/2014 04:43:04 am
I do not know much about the teaching programs in colleges today as I have been a teacher for some time. I do teach night classes for TRC and the students I talk to do not say much about the classes they are taking and most are not in the teaching program yet. I can say that the math they take will not prepare them for teaching unless they are going to be a Math Teacher. Many are going to go into the elementary program and I know the math they are learning is not going to help them teach elementary age students math. Even the so called math for elementary teachers is not going to help them. Many of the classes they take now are computer based so they are missing out on the richness of a traditional class. I think most are better aquanted with technology simply because they are grown up with it and will be better prepared to use the technology. Everything is changing and progressing so quickly I am not sure any of us can stay on top of it. There is simple not enough hours in the day.
Reply
Keeyon Howard
10/12/2014 11:47:17 am
Tin I agree with the points that you have made here. I personally don't think there is enough time in a day to keep up with the quick changes that technology goes through either. Its like as soon as you even think you have figured out one aspect of technology here comes another mew way of doing it. Also, I know a few students that are going into teaching and after I posted my response, I asked them what they thought about being prepared and 100% of them said that they are not being prepared in the teacher programs to the level that they need to be in order to effectively teach any grade.
Reply
Becky Windsor
10/7/2014 09:44:51 am
I have been a teacher for a while so I can't say much about how future teachers are being prepared with technology in schools currently. I do know when we have student teachers they can use some of the technology in our classrooms but there are always things they have to learn because they haven't been exposed to them such as some of the assessment applications or the document camera's for example. There is so much that is changing in technology everyday it would be hard for the teaching classes to adequately prepare future teachers to be ready to tackle all of the technology in the classrooms. As it was and is with me, I learned and am still learning, most everything from hands-on experience in my classroom. There are times when my students help me with certain technologies! I feel as long as the main types of technology can be introduces to student teachers, the rest will come with time!
Reply
Rebecca Hartman
10/9/2014 06:44:10 am
I think it's important for students to learn with technology and for teachers to use it in their classrooms. Many forms should definitely be taught--Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc--while others are not as important in the "real world". Having students use these to teach others and to teach themselves, write papers, do projects, and whatever else they might do in or outside of class will better prepare them for college and for the workforce. I agree that certain parts of technology should be a focus, but not necessarily all aspects of technology.
Reply
Kiefer Smith
10/8/2014 12:41:49 pm
I would have to say that most of the educator classes are not helping us become familiar with learning how to use different technology in the classroom. I can not say for sure this is what is happening in most every major that education has to offer because I was in most PE classes where we were taught to teach kids with equipment and not with technology. I was apart of one class that dealt with computers but it was mainly over the different Microsoft programs that are normally used for different things. I did not get much out of this class. I did not start getting into real technology classes until I got into my masters program. As undergraduate classes go I was not introduced to a lot of technology because of my major. My technology was dealing with different sports apparatuses. I had great education in this area.
Reply
Keeyon Howard
10/12/2014 11:50:09 am
Hey whats yo Kiefer!
Reply
Rebecca Hartman
10/9/2014 06:37:10 am
In the few education classes I took in undergrad, technology was not emphasized. PowerPoint and Prezzi were used, but nothing else. Students were expected to already know how to use technology and were not taught any new forms of technology in these classes. Many of my teachers and professors did not work with technology very much, and my friends who are in school to become teachers are not taught how to use technology in the classroom. While new teachers should be able to create ways to use it, it would be better for them to have a class on this, especially with technology being as prevalent in society as it is.
Reply
Conner White
10/12/2014 12:48:46 am
I remember taking these undergrad classes thinking, "These classes are very limited." I didn't know how unprepared I was until student teaching at a school that had various forms of technology. I was teaching students that were more equipped to use current technology than I was. I feel that we need to try and keep our education programs as up to date as possible to avoid this problem.
Reply
Terri Dodson
10/12/2014 03:07:42 am
I felt the same way, the class was very limited. We were mostly taught Microsoft and now I use Google most of the time. My technology education was minimal until I started using it all the time, I am better now, but still am lost at times, which is when my students step up and give me their assistance. I think this makes them feel good at the same time because they can show me things that they would enjoy and I can take that and incorporate it into the lessons. But I do agree that we need to keep the education programs up to date as much as possible.
Aaron Shockley
10/9/2014 05:12:21 pm
I am seeing the new technology that is being used in the field of coaching. I know that the websites are being used for recruiting, looking up technical/tactical drills in real time. Contacting players from around the world using skype and Cell phones. Now technology can even break down games and tell you exactly what your players are achieving during the game and what they need to work on to help in the break down of game film.
Reply
Brian Calhoun
10/14/2014 10:34:05 am
The past two summers on the baseball team I coach, we have used something called Game Track. One parent uses an iPad and keeps stats during the game, they are then uploaded to a website that only the coaches and scorekeepers can view. We have also used iPad video to show players what they are doing mechanically wrong when they are hitting or pitching.
Reply
Johnna Goucher
10/10/2014 01:52:30 am
I honestly do not think my classes prepared me for using technology in the classroom. With most classrooms having smart boards and iPads it would be beneficial for students entering the teaching field to have basic knowledge of how to use these. I learned about technology in the classroom when I completed my student teaching. There is still much more that I would like to learn to incorporate technology in my classroom today.
Reply
Brian Calhoun
10/14/2014 10:31:42 am
When I completed my student teaching, although in physical education, I feel that that experience taught me more in every area then three and a half years of school did. Even though all schools may not have access to these technological instruments like iPads and smartboards, they still need to use the tools they have to build knowledge to build on. Taking a class to the computer lap a few times a week may be sufficient.
Reply
Conner White
10/12/2014 12:39:16 am
I don't feel that some programs are helping teachers with technology. Yes there are classes that discuss how to use powerpoint and excel, but I have virtually no experience with smart boards, MACs, or Ipads. I remember during my student teaching that I was intimidated by the smart board and never used it. I feel that there should be more classes with hands on experience with these tools.
Reply
Jess Brink
10/12/2014 09:38:31 am
I agree that these courses don't really prepare us for all that is out there... Depending upon what classes you take, there could be the potential for you to learn these things! I try to take as many instructional technology classes as possible!
Reply
Terri Dodson
10/12/2014 02:55:10 am
I feel that the technology education could be better. It could be more in depth. During my undergrad classes I only had to take one technology course and there were so many in the class that there was really no one on one with the instructor. There are so many things out there that can help us with engagement of the students, preparation for classes, and test taking to name a few, and if we use it on a regular basis, would save us time also. Technology is here, we can not close our eyes and our minds to the fact that our students enjoy technology. This enjoyment can work to our advantage if we are willing to learn and utilize it within the classroom.
Reply
Jess Brink
10/12/2014 09:36:57 am
I think that there are some courses that prepare teachers for 21st century classrooms. I have utilized online classes and I believe that they allow for learning technology to participate in the course, but other than that... Nothing extra is taught for technology. I think that it would benefit teachers greatly to know what is out there in terms of technology... So much can come from it! I have found that I am completely for having as much technology in the classroom as possible - students are more motivated when they can use items that are interesting or familiar to them!
Reply
Brian Calhoun
10/14/2014 10:27:30 am
I earned my bachelor’s degree last spring from Central Methodist, so my entire high school and college career were happening during the prime time of our transition to a more technological world. As I transitioned to college I could see the need for technology in classes pick up dramatically. I feel both educational institutions did help prepare me for the world today. When I was still young in middle and high school classes we were introduced to simple programs like PowerPoint, school websites, and even e-mail. I was then able to build more knowledge on top of this information when I moved to college, since technology itself was changing. Technologically specific classes helped greatly to inform and prepare me for the ongoing skills I needed to learn. Some examples of these were; a typing class, intensive writing (we only used a computer room), technology in education, and now instructional technology. This was only my experience split between a St. Louis high school and Central Methodist. I can see how some schools in more inner city areas, or even rural areas, might not have the funds to provide technology to its students. But if a school can afford this technology, it is in the best interest of their students to do so. If these schools do not, their students will but shocked and unprepared for both college and the working world. Technology is only growing more advance and sophisticated, that is why we need to teach our young children now before it is too last for them.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Class BlogThis blog is for class conversations for Ed 514 at Central Methodist University. We invite input form other teachers about how they use technology in their classrooms. Archives
March 2015
Categories
All
|