I am sad that my iPod broke. It has a list of songs on it that can really inspire me to work, exercise, and just plain enjoy myself. One day I was jamming in my car, and for some reason, my iPod just stopped working. Woe is me! I need a little help here.
I would love to be tech savvy and be able to jump right in and know what to do! I'm not even sure how to set up a new iPod!
The point of this post is that I think that teaching students to be tech savvy is more important than teaching them how to take tests. As an adult educator, I break into a nervous sweat when the classroom computer refuses to cooperate right before a class. Oh, I am a great problem solver and test taker, but that doesn't help me even a little bit when the pressure is on for technology gone wrong. The back of my hair goes from halfway decent to limp and damp in a matter of seconds. Sure, I can teach the class without technology, but my adult students expect and enjoy the part that technology plays for demonstration purposes. Technology makes the class come alive.
Why are educators so set on keeping things the same? We are spending so much money just on testing. What if that money was invested in technology instead? Trust me, cutting edge technology would encourage more learning and career building skills than teaching strategies to figure out the right answers on a test.
Learning should be exciting. Students staying on top of new technology and gaining a comfort level with new applications makes good sense to me. It's possible to do it all. Even at my age I love learning as much about technology as I can. That doesn't mean that I will ever give up my books or newspaper (as long as it is still being published). It just means that I can include more in my life.