Isn't it strange how education and technology are seen as the future for our children, but they are seldom linked in the classroom. Technology needs to be optimized in the classroom. Sometimes when I am teaching the 1st grade one of the older teachers will ask me to come in and fix or print something from their computer. I often think to myself how different generations can do different thing in regards to technology. I grew up in the outbreak of using a computer and just getting use to surfing the net. I grew up going to the library and finding information on their computers because we couldn't and didn't know how to put the internet on our computer. I grew up with the generation of if I needed something, it could be found on the internet. We don't write letters, we email. We don't use the telephone, we chat. We are the Generation X that didn't have a framework established for our upbringing. Yet, we are behind in the technology that is being introduced to the next generation.
Now, the younger generation has lingo in Instant Messenger that I didn't even know existed. I am that generation that cannot figure out how to text message without punching out every single letter and I am that generation that calls my little sisters for help on the computer. This upcoming generation is the technology generation that needs and does have the ability to do everything online. These children are learning from the comforts of their own home in front of a computer monitor.
One aspect that is so important online is distance learning and online learning. Why travel to a tutor when you can get the same information at home in your pajama's in Reading, Writing, and Math. It is amazing how schools are lacking in technology and implementing it into the classroom. Why aren't students on the computers more at a younger age and why aren't there computers in the classroom. One of the mother's of a student I teach asked me if I had a webpage set up for the classroom. I told her my district didn't provide that information and she was shocked. Why are the school districts so behind in the combination of education and technology in the classroom? That is such an amazing question that I don't have the answer. As a society we place so much emphasis on the computer, but in the classroom we neglect that learning style and privilege. As parents and educators we need to implement more online learning and tutoring in the classroom via the internet. Write a letter to your local congressman or school district requesting the presents of this distance learning in the classroom. Our students are the computer generation and need online learning in Reading, Writing, and Math via Live Chat!
About the Author: Debbie Cluff is the owner of Links for Learning, http://www.links-for-learning.com, an online tutoring and homework help site. She is the mother of 2 and has been married for 5 years. She currently is in the 1st grade classroom
Source: www.isnare.com
