Reflection on Technology

Over the last few weeks I have moved from being a digital immigrant to being an educator who is a digital native. I have seen the valuable resources available for teaching students - students who are spending a great deal of time using technology. I now see the importance of using 21st century technology in my classroom. “Today’s students, the “digital natives” as they are sometimes called, are practically inseparable from their computer, video games and the Internet” (Miners & Pascopella). If I had not taken this class I would have still been teaching my students in a 20th century way when they are in a 21st world.

The course has helped me in many ways to develop my technology skills. Before this course I was a person that was doing things different but not differently. I did not know what was out there and how it could benefit my classroom and students. “We live in a world where it is commonplace for technology to be used to do different things, not just old tasks, differently. We have the capacity to use technology to transform educational practices in ways that were impossible twenty years ago.” (Thornburgh 2004). This course has shown me what a 21st century classroom needs to look like in order for students to be prepared to enter the world of ever-changing technology. I was shown through this course that much of how I was teaching was not preparing my student in the right way. “It’s their after-school education, not their school education, that’s preparing our kids for their 21st century lives—and they know it.” (Prensky). I saw that students were using technology in many ways and it was time I started using it to help in educating my students.

My skills have been developed in blogging, using wikis and podcasting. Each of these things I had never before used in my classroom, but as of today, each one has been incorporated into my classroom life. I can now say that I teach my students in the way they have been learning all their life. “Often from the Natives’ point of view their Digital Immigrant instructors make their education not worth paying attention to compared with everything else they experience-and then they blame them for not paying attention!” (Prensky 2001). I have been able to deepen my knowledge of learning by expanding my thoughts and ideas of how technology can be used. I had always thought of technology in the classroom as just using the internet. I had no idea that Web 2.0 technology was even out there. I see now that students do not have to do all book-based learning for school to be a place of learning. Students spend a great deal of their time using technology and so should our schools. We are hurting our students by trying to block out the world of technology from them. The skills I have gotten from this course have made me a better educator and a teacher that is preparing my students for a 21st century world.

I have been able to turn my classroom from being a teacher-centered place to a student-centered classroom by allowing myself to be open-minded and entering a new world. I now give my students a chance to be more expressive by blogging about what they have learned or by my recording my classes and Podcasting them for students who were absent. Each of these small things have transformed my classroom from being teacher-oriented to student-oriented. “In student-centered learning, faculty must become facilitors and collaborators, and instruction must move memorization to problem solving.” (Keengwe, Onchwari & Wachira). It takes time and a great deal of effort to integrate these new ideas but I have been willing to go the extra step for my students. My students are going to be entering a 21st century world and it is my job to make sure they are prepared for it. By adding blogging, wikis and Podcasting to my class I am helping my students be prepared and showing them that I am willing to teach them in the way that they learn. “It is not actually clear to me which is harder -“learning new stuff” or “learning new ways to do old stuff”” (Prensky 2001). It takes a lot for a teacher to turn a classroom upside-down and to start teaching in a new way, but as educators we must do what is best for our students.
I will continue to expand my knowledge of learning by staying current with the new 21st century technologies. I now subscribe to many educational blogs which keeps me up-to-date with what is going on in the world of technology and education. Prior to this course I had never used the internet or blogging to stay current with education. I now see which vital tools are out there for teachers. I also see now how important it is for teachers to stay connected with other teachers. This was an area in which I was not adept prior to this course. I will use the new ways of communication to stay in touch with other Family and Consumer Science teachers.

I find that having goals for making my classroom 21st century ready is key to making sure that my students are 21st century ready. My first goal is to have 21st century tools available. I am now in the beginning stages of writing a grant to receive a presentation station for my classroom. I know that the district is unwilling to provide me with the tools needed to make a 21st century classroom therefore my goal is to find ways to make this happen. I will strive to move my school and classroom toward the future. “Offer classes in programming robotics, long-distances collaboration, and cutting-edge science” (Prensky). These types of classes are what 21st century students need to be taking. I will be working on making administration aware that classes need to start integrating 21st century technology and this can only be done with the right tools. “Imagine a classroom, for example, where a teacher can respond to a student’s question with immediate search and retrieval of a video clip illustrating, for example, a scientific observation, or historical event” (Thornburgh 2004). This is what a classroom should look like and one of my goals is to make it happen.

My second goal is to help teachers that are digital immigrants become digital natives. I will accomplish this goal by sharing what I have learned with anyone that will listen. I was recently involved in a presentation at a staff development day. I was able to share what I had learned in this class. Many teachers came and told me later that they had never heard of much of what I had presented. By sharing what I have learned, I will help many teachers who I work with move from digital immigrants to being digital natives. “It’s very serious, because the single biggest problem facing education today is that our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an out-dated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language” (Prensky 2001). My hope with setting this goal is to not only help the students that have these educators but to also show the educators that teaching is no longer just textbooks and a chalkboard.
After taking this course I have a new found respect for educational technology. I now see that is must be a staple in all classrooms. I look forward to expanding my knowledge on what is out there and being able to truly send my 21st century students into the world where they will be successful.



Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). The use of computer tools to support meaningful learning. AACE Journal, 16(1), 77–92



Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration, 43(10),
26–34.

Prensky, M. (2001a). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

Prensky, M. (2001b). Digital natives, digital immigrants, part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6).

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.

Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8–13.