I was talking with my students the other day and they were wondering if I only had white boards when I was in elementary. They were shocked when I said that we didn't even have white boards and that we used chalk boards instead. It got me thinking back to how much technology has changed education and how far we still have to go. Smartboards and computers in the classroom are great but how much do the children actually use them? In my classroom the computers are mainly used by the teachers, only when the students are inside for recess or have to type up a paper are they ever really utilized. Likewise, the students are able to manipulate the Smartboard sometimes, but all to often it is just used to show videos or presentations.
I have been thinking about why technology is so underused and I think it is because many teachers do not see the possibilities. When something has been done a particular way for a long time people become used to it and dislike change to the routine. Technology seems to time consuming to get out, and to hard to get working right. I also think many teachers don't have the level of comfort necessary to work with technology. We have a technology specialist at our school but she stays in the computer room and does not leave it much. How awesome would it be if she was able to help out in the classroom with computer supported temperature gauges or microscopes? Even just to be another set of hands to help students use a virtual manipulative on the laptops would be nice. The students are capable of handling technology in a much more in depth way then they are now, but as teachers are we?
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