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With the advent of these technologies in the academe, our role of planning changes into a more extensive, relevant and effective one than the usual lesson planning. Our avenues for more substantial information widen because all the information we need to know are just within the grasp of our fingertips. The door for collaboration with other teachers is also disclosed and thus enriching our experience and ideas on preparing student activities be they in the form of virtual modules, interactive modules and the like. This is a whole new role for us which surely we're gonna enjoy.
THE CYBERLEARNERS
Imagine the day coming when you are conducting classes with your students in a non-structured classroom (it's happening now too). These are independent students who design their own learning and through a computer monitor you are giving advice to one hundred of them. That the only thing you do is to post in your class web page the sites that best discuss and provide exercises to a particular topic, post assignments, announcements and then contact the site masters about the results of your students' exercises. You have an immediate feedback of their performance. And since today's educational technologies provide significant contribution to the teaching-and-learning process, how much more in the future!
I am pretty sure that these students will be performing much better than their counterparts. Embracing the existentialist and constructivist ideals, we can surely see a breed of genius emerging from these students whom I'm gonna call "cyberlearners". They are the learners who view knowledge not as series of facts but a process instead. One of the greatest scientists of all time, Albert Einstein, once remarked that there is only one difference between genius and stupidity and that there is a limit to a genius. Probably, what Einstein really wanted to say is that there is no limit to stupidity. As educators, our challenge is to evoke the genius in every student and reduce or eliminate his capacity for stupidity. We can only do this when we speak the language of the students and show them what the world is beyond classroom.
A FORMIDABLE ATTEMPT
The challenge posed by the research study is so formidable. In the Philippines, only few schools have the capacity to procure multi-media equipment and computer units. Educational institutions choose to settle for what they have today than invest to a change whose effect is yet uncertain. To shift to technology integration is costly. An average school for example has a multi-media room with 60 computer units. It is not sufficient if we are going to go on 'strict' teaching with technology. I would define technology here more than videos, tv sets, powerpoint and slide presentations. But it is the linkage to the global community where information explodes like bombs.
The thought alone of hooking all computer units to the world wide web already costs a fortune. And I think this can hardly be afforded even by the school I am employed right now. This is really a challenge to our curriculum planners. In a country where graft and corruption is but normal, I doubt if the government can support this formidable attempt. Education in our country has really deteriorated so much that it is so depressing to see our students flunking in board exams here and abroad. If technology would make a difference on the performance of our students, why won't we give it a try,anyway? My fingers are tightly crossed that somehow… only somehow… miracles might happen!
CONCLUSION
Finally, in the high-tech world that seems to move faster than the pace of our understanding of its growth and implications, we, teachers are challenged to restructure and reshape our teaching practices with the aid of technology to promote critical and creative thinking. And the students hopefully would respond to this challenge by removing the barriers to stupidity, posing no boundaries to genius, and facing the world with competitive spirit and reasonable confidence.
I agree that technology helps a lot to promote excellent educational outcomes but this should be done side-by-side with teachers. And teachers in order to cope with the current trend in education must have a profound power that comes from knowing how to do something. In today's world let's move ahead of our students by utilizing technology wisely to acquire the best information available. When we know how to get things done, we are powerful. Our KNOWLEDGE is our POWER. Obviously knowledge will come to us by having our eyes and mind always open to the winds of change.
I do not mean to brag, but who would think that a petty student from a poor island, educated in a remote school, trained in an outmoded way … could make it here in the city and bring interactive technologies at the doorsteps of his class? After all, it's just 'learning how to learn.'
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Eddie G. Fetalvero
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Comments
nice John | Mar 27th, 2003
i like it
YES,I AGREE WITH U Hamis Mdindile | Dec 12th, 2005
IT IS TRUE BECAUSE,IN ORDER FOR A TEACHER TO BE WELL COMPETENT IN HIS/HER FIELD SHE/HE MUST HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE IN TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES,CAUSE THEY WILL HELP HIM/HER IN HIS/HER DAILY ACTIVITIES.
good Ashfaque Hussain | Dec 8th, 2010
this is good to know about this.
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