Blog #6

I am a college professor and I look around at my class, I see a variety of different people. My current students are made up of traditional and non-traditional students that have ages from 17 to 78. The challenge for me in teaching this will be to find out the skills in the area of technology that this class requires. Technology is always changing and for some of my non-traditional students this class might be more of a challenge, due to their lack of technical skills.

Watching the "shift happens" and the "vision of students today" videos, both of the videos illustrated what lies ahead for our future. In the "shift happens" video" it points out that we are preparing students for problems with technology that have not happened yet. The video also mentioned that the software developed today will be obsolete tomorrow. Students in the "Vision of Today" video showed various signs that displayed their feeling on technology. Some students showed that they do all communication through some type of electronic devise, others explained that they use technology to listen to music. Videos showed that technology is playing a vital role in how we do things in today's life.

One of the challenges that I foresee as a instructor is our ability to promote the use of technology for all of our students that will fit their learning styles. In the article Students Who Are Already at Risk, Letgers and McDill State (1994):

"Maintaining access to technology throughout the student's school career, integrating
technology so that it is available for all kinds of learning, and deploying uses of technology
that move away from traditional teaching and learning methods are necessary components
of a successful technology strategy for educating students at risk." (p.11)

Not all school districts have the capability of having top notch technology educational programs it is my worry that students will not have the background needed to be successful when it comes to the technology requirements in higher education. The article Equitable Access and Use, The article discusses the importance of all student needing and having access to school computers to build their technological skills. In today's economy and the downfall of the educational finances, not all students will have the opportunity to receive the training or knowledge in the area of technology. Those students who come from financially strapped school districts will be behind the learning curve when it comes to using technology in college.

Another concern that I have as a college instructor is the creativity and academic honesty. There is so much information out there in cyber space. The challenge will be to encourage students to utilize their own creativity and use academic honesty. I feel that part of my job as an instructor is to make sure that my student understand the copy right laws and how to correctly site others work.

Every year that goes by, technology is changing. I am a firm believer that high school students need to take at least three years of classes in technology. In order for all students to keep up with the technological requirement in higher education, they need preparation during their high school years.