What is effective technology integration for 21st century learners

Let me run you through my hypothetical morning. I wake up to the sound of my cellular phone's alarm clock blaring next to my head, and at the same time I hear my coffee maker grinding fresh beans for my morning cup. I quickly shower, dress, and have breakfast. With the necessities out of the way, I fire up my laptop to print off today's homework assignment. While I'm waiting for my computer to boot up, I'm checking my email, the weather, and my schedule for the day on my phone. I make a few adjustments to my schedule. My computer finishes booting up and I'm met with my updated schedule. I print my homework then head off to school. In this imaginary sequence of events, we see many examples of technology being used in daily life. What's interesting is that this situation isn't so much different from what an actual student might experience in the morning. Technology is literally everywhere today. Since the advent of Smartphones we carry our lives in our pockets. So to ignore technology in the classroom would be downright negligent. The effective integration of technology into the classroom is more important now than ever before.

So What constitutes effective integration? One important aspect is that the technology should be appropriate. The use of technology in the classroom must not seem out of place, or forced. What I mean is that it would be inappropriate to use technology just for the sake of using technology. In the example day above technology allowed me to get out of bed on time, have coffee, and get ready for my day. In short, technology facilitates life. In the classroom, technology should facilitate learning. As with all other classroom learning, the goal should not be to learn all there is to know about a specific piece of technology, since technology is changing all the time. The goal in the classroom should be to integrate technology in such a way that the use of technology fits seamlessly into the lesson plan. The focus should be on developing the skills needed to be able to learn to use any new technology that might be encountered.

Technology should also be entertaining and accessible. The idea that technology should be accessible follows logically from the point that technology should be appropriate. If the technology isn't easily accessible by all students, then there is no way it can be easily integrated into the classroom environment. The point about technology being entertaining reaffirms the belief in engaging the 21st century learning in a memorable experience. If the technology is not entertaining, use of the technology will quickly become monotonous and uninspiring.

Possibly the most important concept we should be teaching students about technology, is the effective use of such technology. If we're honest, we know that technology isn't all good. There are viruses, spyware, addware, spam, and popups to name a few examples. If you give a student a stove and some food ingredients, chances are the student will eventually create something edible, but that is not what a teacher is for. The same applies to technologies, the teacher must be there to provide instruction for proper use, as well as providing information on some of the dangers associated with technology.

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Blogging

I'm a little on the fence with regards to the issue of blogging in the classroom. I suppose what it comes down to is what blogging is used for specifically. The benefit of using blogs as an administrative tool are obvious. A teacher could make use of a blog as an easy to operate, personal website for distributing assignments and keeping students updated about the latest classroom news and updates. Furthermore, with RSS readers on wireless devices such as cell phones, classroom information can be updated effortlessly and taken anywhere. What I'm unsure of are the consequences of using blogs as a means of communication between students. If each student had a personal blog, and any student could comment on any other student's blog, then it seems students are lacking a designated gathering place for all students to discuss ideas communally. In my opinion a class forum would be better suited for this purpose.

Introduction

So I am writing my first blog ever. My name is Mark Geiger. I was born and raised in Lethbridge, Alberta. Growing up in Lethbridge, I've come to harbour a special hatred towards the wind. I am currently participating in practice sessions for the upcoming Alberta and Saskatchewan computer programming competitions, which almost makes me a certified geek. My major is in mathematics, and my minor is CTS.
I enjoy cooking, golfing, reading, and computers.
That is all.