"Kid's These Days"

I am huge believer in Twitter and the power of a Personal Learning Network (PLN).  One of the people that I follow on Twitter is http://twitter.com/thenewtag and she is passionate about "Sharing new ways to engage, motivate, reach and teach the young people in our lives."  She also writes a quality blog worth looking into offering tons of resources and ideas for education.

Recently, she decided to take a huge step.  She is participating in the contest on Oprah to find the next big star and the opportunity to host their own show.  Her show concept “Kids These Days” features the things that are making a difference in young lives and the ways kids are impacting and being impacted by their worlds. But it’s not just a show; like so many of Oprah’s projects, “Kids These Days” is a game changer, a transformative resource available to every parent, educator and kid in the country and it’s going to reshape the way we perceive and engage youth in America

In order to help show support, take a few minutes to visit her audition site.  Watch her video, and then vote for her and "Kid's These Days"

Common Misconception #8 - Student's Know More About the Technology Than I Do

My Students Know More About the Technology Than I Do.

Most kids in this generation do know more about technology in general, but the idea that they know more about a technology resource you are trying to integrate is completely false.  Kids in this generation are capable of learning how to use a resource easier then most teachers, but they DON'T KNOW how to use the resource as it relates to the content you are trying to teach them.  That is where YOU come along to assist in the use of the resource.

Most teachers will tell you that they fear the idea of a student knowing more about technology.  If anything, that fear should make teachers want to learn more about technology so that they can be a step ahead of the students.  I personally relish the idea that a student might have more knowledge on how to use technology.  Why?  1.) Because they will be able to help me better understand it and 2.) I have someone in the classroom that can help me assist other students.  It is like free help.  How many teachers turn down a peer tutor in a classroom?  Not many, because that peer tutor is a very valuable resource in a classroom.  Think of the student that knows more about the technology as a peer tutor.

It is a misconception to believe that students know everything or more about technology.  They don't.  They might know how to use their cell phones in ways we don't.  They might know how to use the Internet and other software more then we do, but they don't.  It SEEMS like students know more because THEY SPEND TIME USING TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT FEAR.  If teachers want to know more about technology they must start using it more within their daily lives, not just between the hours of 8-3 or 3-10 for those of us that use it at home, but not at school.

What is true is that even though students might know how to use it, the majority of students do not know how to use the technology to make a quality product.  They don't know how to manage their time in order to create a quality product using technology.  They don't know correct ways to cite sources when creating a product using technology.  They don't know how to organize information on a web page or Power Point. 

Why is all this true?  Because the majority of teachers THINK students know how to use this technology and they don't.  I remember the first Power Point project I had my students do.  They were AWFUL.  Why?  Because I assumed they knew how to create a Power Point presentation.  I realized that my first lesson should have been how to use Power Point.  The lack of knowledge about how to use Power Point by my students negatively impacted the effectiveness of relaying the content within the presentation.

Assuming students know how to use technology WITH the content is a huge misconception. We must teach students how to use the technology first, then teach them how to integrate the technology with the content. From there, it is my opinion that students will have the best opportunity to understand the content because they are using the content for a purpose greater than a presentation in the classroom.

If there is one thing you can take away from this post it is this: For this generation and future generations of students, it is/will be critical for teachers to have an understanding of how to integrate technology in order to better teach CONTENT to students.  Students don't know how to integrate technology with the content being taught and must be taught both the technology and the content for successful retention of information.
 
Remember, students might know about technology, but students don't know about EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY.