After reviewing the stages, I believe that I would have to label myself as being in the 2nd stage (Adoption) of Technology Integration within the classroom. I have never been completely against using technological tools in my lessons, but at the same time I have also been wary about technology taking the spotlight in my lessons versus just assisting them. I have used videos, music and a Smartboard to teach lessons before. However, the private school that I taught for did not have the funds to have many technological tools within the classrooms. Heck, we barely had one functioning computer in the entire school. I never felt that I needed any other advanced tools in my classroom and that we were getting by with what I was able to use on my iPhone. I think part of this mentality was due to the fact that I knew that I would never be able to have any techie gadgets since the school would never be able to afford it. So, I powered through it, and would like to say I succeeded all the same.
Hence, I have felt that even though I'm sure certain modern tools could be very helpful, fun, and effective during lessons, I did not want my classroom to be another outlet for children to stare at screens all day. I do believe that as a teacher you have to stay current and be aware of the tech tools out there that can be utilized, but I also believe that a student still needs to learn the traditional ways with pen and paper. There is a necessary skill that cannot be taught with touchscreens. Coordination, precision, and physical dexterity are skills that one can attain through the use of pen, paper, crayons, glue sticks, and other handy school supplies. These skills should be not be overlooked just because they are not flashy or the latest fad. They are just as imperative in the classroom as the latest and greatest math app on the students' iPad minis.
Sad but true.
The Difficulty of Certain Stages
Now, I do believe that a teacher cannot and should not stay in Stage 1 (Entry) for very long if at all. I believe that it is pure ignorance if a teacher denies using any type of technology in their lessons. That is just a blatant denial and rejection of these valuable tools to help connect them with their students and enrich their lesson plans. I have especially learned by taking this current class how beneficial technological tools can be. These techie tools can be used for multiple subjects and even for management of the classroom itself. I think that it would be difficult for myself at least to stay within this initial stage since it just seems like a very base and rather ill-informed way of thinking.I think that the process of the five stages of Technological Integration make sense. I have seen it happen with other fellow teachers. After they slowly learn and gather all these new technological tools that can be used to enhance their lessons and engage their students' attention, there comes a point where the entire class becomes a presentation or even a competition of how many apps or gadgets can be utilized within the school day. I think one of the hardest stages to overcome and accept is the 5th stage: Innovation. For a teacher who has such a plethora of gadgets up his sleeve at this point, it can only be just short of mental torture to actually have to pick and moderate how many techie tools they will allow themselves to use within their lessons. Finding moderation and balance in anything is a challenge, and this is no exception. However, when a teacher does achieve this stage and is able to properly focus on the curriculum versus the actual flashy tools to teach it, they prove to be the most effective and capable teachers they have ever been. It is just difficult to get past the over obsessive or "Appropriation" stage for some teachers.
My mentor teacher from last semester was in the fourth stage (Appropriation) of the process. He told me that he was the head of the technology board within the school. He had been pushing all the latest and greatest gadgets to be used in each classroom. His defense was that his students should not be excluded the advantage of all these technological tools that the richer schools could easily provide. Most of the students in the school came from low class families that could barely afford lunches for their children let alone an iPad. However, he funded the money and provided each classroom with iPads for each student equipped with multiple apps for every possible subject you could imagine, Smartboards for each classroom, and iMacs for every teacher. He stated that he wasn't even finished yet and was vying for some new tools to be donated to the school. His efforts were quite admirable, but at the same time slightly obsessive. As much as I learned and witnessed the beneficial uses of all the technology in the classroom, I also felt that the apps on the iPads were almost a substitute for the teacher, or even worse, a babysitter to keep the class quite and preoccupied while the teacher used his valuable teaching time to do other work. To be honest, that is what I did fear when I first saw the iPads on each child's desk: "Are they even going to be pay attention in class now?" Sometimes they did, and sometimes the iPads just proved to be too great of a temptation. Children are easily distracted to begin with. If you give them something shiny, noisy, and flashy, you can forget about the lesson being actually heard let alone comprehended.
My overall conclusion is that keeping up with technology in the classroom is absolutely necessary if one wants to stay connected with their students in this fast-paced world and remain effective in their teaching. Also, these gadgets can be utilized in the classroom in more than multiple ways for any lesson a teacher may need to teach. They can definitely provide a helping hand. However, my only hope is that we do not lose sight of the importance of the traditional methods that also encourage important school and even life skills. May we always remember the power of pencil and paper.
