Finale

So here we are, the last week of winter term, finale of every class. It is time to reflect back to what we did, what we like and what we do not like about everything. EDST 211 class has been a very interesting class for me, especially the part where our daily assignments are to blog, we showed what we did through blogging (even now?). But the way our class structured is the foreshadow of the future classrooms in many other schools, or maybe it has been the intention all along : let us experience what it is like to be in a technological setting classroom. The past decade has been a turning point for all the educators and students in the education world. The education expectations of the new generation is going to be different. Technology has taken a big role in education. Aside from the fun students could have from playing computer games, Internet has provided educators and students different tools to use, and to take the learning to a next level. Making such change like this isn’t easy, it takes each and every one of us to make it happen. In our class, our PLN groups work as motivators, an inspiration, encouraging each of us to take a step to learn the newest technological tools. To experience, and hopefully to use it in future classrooms. I believe the future classrooms would be a hybrid that involves both traditional lectures and the use of technology. The use of technology allow us all the be creative, to think outside the box, because there seem to be no limit in World Wide Web! It has all kinds of tools that we have yet to discover. Us, future educators, have to be prepare for such a change and ready for the students whose expectations are going to be very different. They grow up as digital natives, computers and cellphones are not new vocabularies to them. We look outside the classroom and see a world that cannot live without Internet and other advancing technology tools. Then we look at the young students who are eager to learn more about the computers. It is time for all educators to understand that they are the bridge between the young generation and the reality world. What we want for our students is for them to be well prepared for what they are about to face after they get out of school! It is very important to break the traditional-sit-in-the-classroom-and-just-listen setting for students. After this class, I have thoroughly thought about what do I want to do with my future classroom. And I expect by then, computers would be widely used in schools. I think the best approach to blend traditional teaching and technology together is to teach the students the basics about certain topics in classrooms in a traditional setting, or maybe with SmartBoard lessons, then allow them to create projects out of the various technological tools. It is a vision of how I picture a future classroom would be, which I don’t think it’s impossible with such an accelerated growth of technology. Overall, my class experience have broaden my old views towards education, and has definitely prepared me to investigate more different new tools for future classrooms and lead the students towards a new world of technology.