Prompt 7: How do we keep up?

http://www.hybridpedagogy.com/Journal/files/Play_Games_Gamification_Active_Learning.html#unique-entry-id-106

Sorry this is coming in so late. It’s April.

What stuck out to me most about this articles was the following quote:

“I would say that teachers are increasingly expected to be super-pedagogues, and companies (publishing companies, software companies, start-ups) are increasingly cashing in on teachers’ fears that they are not and cannot keep up with the technological advances that are taking place. A recent survey of k-12 teachers reveals a very real anxiety with the proliferation and rapid evolution of technology in terms of their ability to understand and integrate it into their practice.”

I felt like I really related to this passage because I have also found myself becoming overwhelmed by the different digital platforms that are out there. How do I know which platform can both be value added to my classroom and help my student accomplish “the thing” that they need to accomplish? On top of that, I realize that in order to ask my students to become invested in the idea of a “digital classroom”, I have to become somewhat of an expert the digital platform that I expect my students to use. But with different digital platforms popping up, will I be able to realistically keep up with the digital literacy of current and future generations? Will it just become too overwhelming? I’m not lying when I say that this is a legitimate fear that I have. I refuse to become the teacher who is satisfied with teaching the same syllabus and curriculum year after year after year.

However, Bessette, the author of this article, does present an interesting solution to this problem. The author describes a semester when she did peer driven learning. One group of students actually did a presentation where the created a “Jeopardy” like game, which was very similar to Bessette’s recollection of traditional game nights. This reminded me that sometimes the best teachers of the “up and coming” ways to use digital platforms are students. I really like the idea of incorporating peer driven learning into a classroom curriculum, not only to let students explore and create a “thing” that they are actually proud of when the present it to their peers, but also as a chance for the students to teach me more about what is trending in the world of digital literacy.

The fact of the matter is that there will come a point in time when we might not be able to keep up with “what’s hot and what’s not” as well as we were able to when we were younger. However, when and if this point in life does happen, we must turn to our students for guidance so that we don’t fall behind and become so comfortable that we turn into “that teacher” that uses the same god damn powerpoint every freaking semester. JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT KIND OF SHIT PISSES ME OFF!!!!! AGGGGHHHHH!!!! Learning should be fun, not forced.