Reflection- Teaching with Tech

So I've been teaching online since 2005.  I have seen many upgrades in both technology and attitudes.  When I started I was deemed "that tech girl from the government". I had the dual job of not only showing educators how to use technology in their teaching but also hooking up computer labs.  So what did teaching with technology look like in 2005 in the Detroit Public Schools?

For Northwestern high school they had 2 computer labs with 20 computers each for 800 + students. There were 5 computers in the teachers lounge and the Principal, Asst. Principal and head secretary had one. This meant that most teachers didn't have the technology in their room right? Not quite- what it meant is that the teachers didn't have computers in their rooms. Most teachers didn't seem to mind, however there were a few gung ho teachers that got permission to use their own lap tops. There were a ton of power point presentations (mind you the school had just been wired - no wireless here!) and some internet work and one teacher took it upon herself to set up the School Connection- each parent could log in and check student grades and homework and test schedules. Not bad for 2005.

Flash forward: Most college and university courses have an online component whether hybrid or not. However, I still know a lot of educators don't understand how to integrate technology with out it feeling overwhelming. The last tech in-service I did was to convince teachers how video, webinars / live chats, slide shows and interactive web sites could augment the lessons and weren't a cheat.

It's hard for some educators to face the fact that we are surrounded by tech, our students use a lot of tech and learning styles are impacted by this.

As I delve more into the digital world and digital learning environments, the more it becomes clear- we either shift with the changing needs of our students or we lose them. Just as we shifted from chalkboard to white boards we need to keep in mind that tech is here to stay .