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Most of Chapter 10 involves talk about "the big
shifts" which is what I think this class has highlighted. The shift away
from the way things were to the way things are. Integrating technology is not
something that is going to be elective; soon it will be mandatory. This course,
along with the previous ones, are getting us ahead of the curve, to help be
leaders and teachers of technology.
The first shift Richardson talks about is "open
content." Basically information is as easy as searching for it on your
search engine of choice. Lesson plans are out there for you to find on just
about any subject; teachers share their knowledge freely and openly. All you
have to do is look for it.
It's available 24/7. Having the web around creates more time
to do research and learning; it doesn't have to be all classroom time. People
connect through blogs and wikis and learning can happen at any moment from any
source. Possibilities are unlimited. This leads into the collaborative nature
of integrating technology. Collaborating with not only classmates but people
around the world is really an exciting venture. Web 2.0 makes it not only
possible but easy.
Now instead of teaching student simply the facts we teach
students how to find the facts. What sources should be trusted? What should we
look for when on a website. What should make us click the back button? It's now
all part of teaching- not only information downloads but how to be successful
in finding out what you want to know.
The final shift that resonated with me was "mastery is
the product, not the test." There are countless ways to show that the
student has mastered the content. They can produce different things using the
web- they don't have to just get 70 percent or above on a multiple choice test.
You can have them do individual assignments, contribute to group projects, and
in the end have an online portfolio that showcases everything they've learned.
So I will be holding onto the Richardson book. I like the ideas in here, I like the links he provides, I want to have this information easily at my fingertips. I think he summed it up very nicely in Chapter 10, what we've learned and where we can go with this new-found knowledge.
I also want to point to a classmate's blog Carrie McClure - I am in love with her ideas for classroom jobs in the technology department. It is definitely something I will utilize in my future classes. Smart idea Carrie!