Wearing the Construction Hat

We get to a point in life where our careers feel like home. We may do some touch-ups here and there, add a few new pieces of furniture to the house, or maybe even remodel a part of the house, but we never plan on changing the structure of the house. I feel like that is what teachers need to do in this analogy. Home is where the heart is and if your heart is in teaching and helping your students attain success, you'll do what it takes to get them there. Following along with my analogy, I am saying that if there something that does not support your family of 4 or 5 or 30 you are going to either close up shop and look elsewhere or build on what you have.

All of the articles read thus far, discussing the advantages and the drawbacks, pedagogy and student contribution, privacy and safety are all relevant pieces of the puzzle, but I think teachers need to put on the construction hat and get to work. It feels a little awkward being the student again, learning core critical information that may or not be second nature to us, but if it is almost certain to produce something beautiful if used correctly, why make it more difficult for ourselves? I think if we had the attitude of curiosity we would be able to transform our pedagogical knowledge while maintaing our core values of teaching. The objectives would after all be the same: a successful classroom; just a different means of getting there and keeping the students engaged. 

I believe authors like Ertmer are right in believing there needs to be a shift in teacher's pedagogical beliefs for technology to take full course in the classroom. Regardless of how any individual feels about using it, its a resource that is going to become major features of every classroom across the United States. We can't just ignore their presence. I for one still find it scary. I am learning, little by little things I am able to do and discovering things I may eventually get to mastering. It's not about the next best thing as much as its about the next thing that can benefit our classrooms. Just because we have this resource does not mean we forget how our students learn differently. 

Focus TEACHERS!!! FOCUS!!! We need to put on our construction hats, get in the field and make some magic happen in our classrooms. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty :)