Ponderings of a New Teacher

Lately I have been struggling with the dichotomy of technology versus nature.  I am in a school that was founded on Outward Bound’s Expeditionary Learning program.  The school itself and my cooperating teacher strongly believe that students need to have as many learning experiences in the outdoors as possible.  I agree.

However, the world that this generation of elementary school students is growing up in is not the same world that I grew up is (and I am only 28).  I did not have an email account and my family did not even have a computer until I was in high school.  Cell phones did not happen until college and I only adopted text messaging this year.

Who know where technology will be when these kids are my age.  So the questions is:  Do these children need to be learning about technology in elementary school to prepare them for the future?  Some teachers (my cooperating teacher included) would say no.  But I am not so sure.  There are some wonderful learning tools out there that involve very basic computer technology.  Many of these tools are blocked by my stone-aged school district.

So what is it that I think about the technology vs. nature debate?

I think kids should be outside as much as possible.  I think that there is much to be learned from our natural world, things that computers just cannot teach us.  I also think that technology is a great way to supplement a basic education.  There are so many ways to engage students through technology.  It is a part of their world.  For example, the Many Voices for Darfur Project allowed students to collaborate, empowering them to do some amazing social justice work.  Isn’t that what school is about, empowerment?  Allowing kids to use their brains and find their voice?  I see technology as a great way to give students voice and an outlet to use it!

I want to use blogging and wikis in the classroom but the district blocks everything.  If anyone out there is interested in telling me their success stories of how they got around district firewalls, I would greatly appreciate the advice.  Also, I am looking for new and innovative ways to use both of theses tools in an elementary classroom.

Here is a link I found on this website about using blogs in the classroom.

http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your-edublog-to-teach/

Why is it that I feel funny having people in my daily life read my blog but am fine with allowing thousands of perfect strangers read my inner thoughts? Okay, maybe I am over-estimating that thousands of people are reading my blog but please just entertain me for a moment. Am I the only one out there that feels this way? Can I get a “what-what?”

I know that I am, in fact, not the only one who feels this way due to a recent conversation with a fellow blogger. So, if we know that our friends, collegues, students are reading our blogs, do we (and by we I mean I) filter what I say in the hopes that I will not be judged as harshly for my insanity, sensitivity, or utter irrationality? In this vain, my goal is to be as true to myself in my writing as I can be no matter if my reader is an 80 year old, chain-smoking Frenchman with a love of edublogs, whom I’ve never met (Bonjour!) or my mother. Now can I get a “what-what?”