Listen to the Natives

Pensky's article offered a lot of interesting information that most people, especially teachers have not thought about or at least not said out loud. I think that this article was fantastic and that its information was something that people really need to think about. As the time changes, along with clothes, cars, fashions, and more, so does the technology that we use. While some people really have a hard time with change, our children embrace it. They love to find new ways to do things and if it makes any task faster for them, then they are all for it. The great thing about technology is that it is always around us and can be used in so many different ways; music, communication, entertainment, planning trips, research, taking a test, and thousands of other ways.
As teachers it is imperative that no matter how much we hate change or are scared of it, we must embrace it like our students. For the most part I honestly think that people are more scared of change than anything else, but the truth is that we cannot avoid it. As our students become more advanced than us with technology, there are less things that we can teach them effectively. There is nothing wrong with asking them for help; everyone student would love to teach their teacher a thing or two. As educators we should allow and want our students to teach us something that they have quickly become experts at. They know how to google, download, talk, make their own websites, etc. and I am sure that they would love to show us how to do the same.
With so little time to get everything accomplished, I think that it is imperative that teachers incorporate technology into the classroom everyday. If we allow our students to do work at home or access information on the web, we can have more time for art, music, PE, and all of the other things that our students are missing out on. There is so much pressure on teachers to get so many things done throughout the school year, and there really is just not enough time. With the use of technology, teachers can organize everything that they want to teach their students find interactive ways to teach them that students will love.
Children spend hours upon hours surfing the web, so why not have them do some school work while they are at it. Now while I think that it is a little silly to have them take a test on the cell phone, I do think that the day will come when this is possible. I think that right now technology is still new and students would take advantage of that, but I do think that it will happen one day.
It is imperative that teachers change with the times. The world is fast pace and is not going to slow down to meet everyone's needs. We need to jump on the band wagon and ask our students how we can incorporate technology in the classroom. There are so many sources out there and programs that we can use that will not only make our lives as teachers easier, but will also interest our students to learn more and get excited about their education.