Prompt: Respond - should technology drive curriculum, or vice versa?
Truthfully speaking, I really don't know exactly how to answer this question due in large part to my inability to pick a side. I can see the value in both arguments regarding the relationship between technology and curriculum, but to actually pick a side in this debate is quite difficult. I say this because I really love the accessibility that technology provides in designing curriculum, but I've also seen the drawbacks of focusing too much on technology that the actual content is not delivered to the students. So, in lieu of choosing either or, I'm going to say that you need to focus on somewhere in the middle of this paradigm. Here's why ...
I cannot fathom the number of times that I have come across some tool or app that I really think best aids in delivering information in my classroom. Technology and all the possibilities that it creates has forged a new era of education, and I truly believe that it's constantly changing every school year. The technology that was used by our parents and then by us has drastically changed, and the world that our students will be working and living in is going to be much more advanced than the world we presently live in. So, if we are to prepare our students for a technologically driven world that doesn't entirely exist just yet, then it only makes sense to provide them with the tools to succeed in said world. It only seems fitting that we should consider technology the engine that provides the source of power for the beast that is education. There are so many resources and means of connection that it seems that technology should drive our curriculum into a new frontier.
However, when a teacher becomes so absorbed in using every imaginable technological tool or resource that they stray from the actual content that they teach, technology is no longer a study aid, but a hindrance. Unfortunately, as teachers (myself included), we want to use EVERYTHING that we see because it's just so awesome! When we attend tech conferences, or read about a new app, or even see another teacher utilizing some form of technology, we can't help but think of a way to incorporate it within our classroom. At times I've felt that I just had to use every available tool because if not, then I was failing at providing my students with the necessary tools to succeed. I've learned that by embracing the tried and true technology tools, I'm not only better utilizing these tools, but modeling to my students that it's best to simplify their lives instead of meddling in too many things.
I personally adore the advantages that technology provides for education, but just like anything else in our lives, it's best in moderation. Sometime we need that extra push to get going, but too much of a good thing can turn out to be bad.
-A
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