Teaching Veterans Keeping Up with the Pace of Technology in the Classroom

An option for last weeks mandatory post was to talk about the stuff we discussed in class, well since I didn't think it was safe to travel back to B-Town (It stormed and the roads were snow packed and icy) I missed this class, so I could post on ideas and topics that popped up after doing tech tasks and reading other blogs. As I read my friend Jenn's Blog (you should give it a read!) I was inspired to talk about technology closer to home but also a topic in the education world. I decided to talk about  technology and education viewed from a very experienced, excellent and inspiring teacher. (She's a great mom too!) The idea also came after I listened to another podcast entitled "Keeping up with the Pace of Education Technology."

My mom who retired last June, taught in the public school system for 35 years. She graduated from Brandon University in 1978, a time where you hand wrote everything, and only had to be in school for 4 years in order to obtain your B.Ed. Mrs.Braun has taught everything from Kindergarten to Grade 8. She spent the last 20 years in a Grade 4 classroom and here saw the evolution of technology. The first computers in the school were ones that used those huge floppy disks and were mostly used to play games (really, really, lame games) very little word processing and of course no internet. Those were then replaced with the white dells with huge monitors that weighed a hundred pounds and here word processing was used more and more in the classroom. Soon there wasn't just a computer lab but a computer in every classroom on a rolly cart. And soon after that all those white heavy, clunky dells were replaced with the coloured apple computers. (click on the link if you don't know which ones I'm talking about) Now there was computer class put into the timetable, and it was mostly spent on "all the right type a typing program to help develop typing skills. Internet access was now available but very limited because not a lot was known how to best utilize it in the classroom. Professional Development sessions were offered to help develop computer skills and resources for teachers. For someone who had not grown up with a computer or used a computer in University, like all the new teachers, she embraced it and tried to learn along side her students. Soon after came apple laptops and the apple monitor which are now used today. The school gave her her own Macbook and she managed to navigate that on her own (with little help from me.) While all of this computer business was going on, the smart board technology was out there and she wanted it in her classroom. She saw the opportunities and potential that it had for her classroom. She asked for one for her classroom and finally one was installed, the first in her building! She began using it daily in her lessons and when she had student teachers in her classroom they showed her all sorts of new stuff that could be done on the smart board. Technology and all it has to offer was fully accepted by a "veteran" teacher. She used the internet and video in her classroom on a daily basis, just to provide a different perspective on different lessons she was teaching.
The point of this post was to show that even though my mom began her teaching career in a time when there was little to no technology available to be used in the classroom, she embraced the changes as technology became more readily available and learned along with her students to make sure she was giving them the best opportunity to stay connected and "on top" of this technology based society. I think there is often a stigma that older more experienced teachers have trouble integrating technology or don't want to integrate technology into their classroom. But it's benefits are so many that they are not only limiting their students but also themselves.
Technology is changing the way we teach, everyone should try and use it to its full potential. The class I am taking is helping me to understand this, and is also helping me get the most out of technology for my classroom. I am excited to try and use some of the things I have learnt in this class in 2 weeks in my Field Experience placement.

-LB