Technology disconnect

I feel that the classroom teacher who uses the technology available to them and strives to meet the unique needs of the individual is doing all they can to prepare their students for the future. Each classroom teacher works under different circumstances, some with greater resources available some with relatively none. The learner is often self taught, in my opinion, and those with an aptitude for technological devices will strive to use and learn as they feel comfortable. What we are able to do is to teach them how to see technology as a friend, and not fear it. We are able to teach them HOW to learn.

Sure we can teach them math, reading, science, etc., but as important is teaching them how to get along, how to work together, and how to assist those in need. We also strive to teach them how to access information and use the resources we didn’t necessarily have when we went to school. Where we used dictionaries, they use the internet. When we needed to check spelling they can click a button on a desktop. We take classes to learn to fly, drive, and defend ourselves, they use simulators.

The disconnect between education and business is often because of the cuts made in education. We are not an industry where there is a valuable product produced (or are we) that we can sell for a profit tomorrow. So the dollars invested in the business world are lacking in the educational world. The disconnect can be shrunk but never truly eliminated. We can learn to use it to more efficiently access information, network socially, and communicate ideas, but “technological advances will go beyond simply making us more efficient at what we already do. They're going to change where we work, how we work, and even the nature of work itself” (Hoff, 2007). While I was not taught using the technology available today, my students will be using technology in the work place that we can only imagine. I had to learn (as an adult) and so will they. We all adapt as needed to fulfill the needs of our work situation and our students will as well.

Reference: Hof, R. (2007, August 20). The end of work as you know it. Businessweek.com. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_34/b4047426.htm?chan =search