Thing 4: Now vs. Then

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That is definitely true in education. I was amazed and inspired by all the possible ways to use technology to get students "thinking." Yet, I must admit, there is very little of it being done in our school system. Like the old days, we still teach students core content in 50 minute blocks with the occasional integration project thrown in as enrichment. When I was in college (not too long ago) we were taught the contructivist method was the way to go. Inquirery based learning was to get students thinking, comunicating and taking responsibility for their learning. Yet, once out into the "real world" I saw very few examples of true inquirery based learning. So, I wonder why it is we are told one method is best for learning and yet we do another.

Partly, it is our training. I was taught Hyperstudio in college. It was exremely time consuming to make anything useful. We also used Microsoft Office and basic internet research sites. This basic technology education does not support the constructivist classroom. There are all these great tools to make learning more meaningful and make our students true thinkers, yet I was not exposed to them in my teacher training. So, it then becomes each teacher's job to learn the current technology and find ways to integrate it into daily learning. This is a slow and time-consuming process. We need professional development, networking, equipment and time to become proficient before we jump in with both feet. Because of the road blocks, teachers continue to do what we have always done. It is what we know and the only way to change is to get to "know" something else. I guess, the way to change the educational system's view of technology in the classroom, is to change each teacher's view.