Open Our Eyes to the Power of Technology

Monaco, M. (2009). Opening our eyes to the power of technology. Reading Today, 19.

Maria Monaco is a graduate student who wrote a very interesting article in Reading Today about the power that technology has on schools today. She writes, "How do we allow students to see the value of our reading and writing worlds, if we are not ready to value theirs" (p. 19)? I think this is a very reasonable question. Many teachers today are very quick to criticize the culture that students' are apart of today, but they don't consider the benefits of bringing that culture into the classroom. Students are also very quick to pick up teachers' negative attitudes, and it might be difficult to make connections with them when this negativity is present. According to Monaco, teachers can no longer claim that "books are the only way that students can enter new worlds and gather information" (p. 19). Technology offers students the very same opportunities that books do-- perhaps an even greater one. Currently children can learn through different technologies and see prespectives that older generations never imagined were possible. Though children often find themselves surfing the web or playing video games, they are not always well-informed about the power that technology has on education. It is up to the teachers to show students this hidden treasure. The problem is, not all teachers are willing and able to educate students on this subject.

Monaco recommends a solution to this problem that is similar to most other researchers studying technology and reading. She offers this advice: "It will require a concerted effort to introduce teachers to educational technologies and show them how to successfully integrate technology into their instruction to maximize learning" (p. 19). Professional development experiences are often the plan that schools are turning to to enhance the education that students have on technology. This is a great solution, as long as the professional development sessions do the job that they are meant to do. They need to be insightful and educational for teachers. And above all else, teachers have to have a willing attitude to learn about topics like Smartboards and iPods before the training will be effective.

In her article, Monaco mentions a blog that seems to be very interesting. It is thefischbowl.blogspot.com. In this blog teachers and students come together to discuss issues relating to education, technology being a very hot topic. In one post, the author explains the importance of teaching toward tomorrow. This is a piece of advice seems very obvious to us as new teachers, but I think many teachers do not follow this rule. Instead, they teach using technologies and resources that are out-of-date and uneffective for today's students. Fortunately, however, I think progress has been made and continues to move in the right direction.