Overhead Projectors to SMART Boards

When I first started teaching eight years ago, the primary technologies in my classroom were a desktop computer and a television. Most days of the week I relied on an overhead projector for one or more of my lessons and I stood and delivered information to my students. I didn't know any better -- in high school and college, it was the primary way of sharing information. Today, the television, desktop computer, and overhead projector in my classroom have been replaced with iPads, an Apple TV, and a SMART Board. When I attend a college course or professional development workshop, every person in the room is using a personal device. This shift has also not changed the delivery of information but the outcomes of it.

As a teacher, I am no longer the central figure in the classroom with my dry erase marker and transparencies. I am utilizing technological tools to facilitate learning in my classroom. My students have access to information, lessons, and assignments on my class website. They are no longer researching primarily from an encyclopedia but accessing articles and videos from a variety of sources. Students are also collaborating, creating, and storing work on Google Drive. It has created a generation of students who are self-directed and excelling in a model where teachers are facilitators. Some of the benefits outlined here on independent learning include students with life skills, curiosity, and resourcefulness. 

The biggest challenge to this model is actually educating the educators. Students are growing up in a generation where technological tools are emerging and growing with them and most educators in my school are struggling to keep up. A wide range of school priorities, from project based learning to differentiated instruction, seem to be separated from the idea of technology integration. They can be implemented rather easily as explained in this link on technology integration. Teachers can use puzzles, build vocabulary, and bring history to life. I recently opened a lesson using a website called Sporcle to introduce a unit (on the SMART Board) and the kids are hooked on it. This resource and others are engaging students and are geared towards their interests and skills.

The integration of technology into the classroom is necessary in order for students to have the skills to be successful in the 21st century. A recent article in the Washington Post suggests that it is taken a step further by integrating classes that offer instruction in the field of computer science. According to the article, 70% of new jobs in science, technology, engineering and math fields are for computer professionals. Some of the most well known entrepreneurs of this generation have benefited from this type of instruction and founded Microsoft, Facebook, and Dropbox. 

I can't imagine what a classroom will look like 20 years from now. I have seen it evolve from a generation of chalk boards and overheard projectors to one with 1:1 devices and interactive presentations surrounding you on three screens. Technology undoubtedly belongs in the classroom. It has shifted the culture of teaching and learning and will continue to do so into the future.