Points to Ponder

I just watched the following video: http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=47293

It raises some interesting points.  This is what it made me think of:

This video is scary and enlightening.  It makes me think that I am not doing my best to provide my students with the skills to become 21^st century learners.  I have not used wikis, podcasts, or other multi-media materials in my classroom.  I have barely scratched the surface when it comes to technology.  I have recently outfitted my classroom with 7 Nooks for reading, 5 interactive whiteboard games, a mimio, 2 ipods, and an ipod listening center.  This is just the first step.  My students should be actively engaged with these and many more on a daily basis.  They need to be creating and developing technologic responses to classroom discussions.  They need to learn how to navigate the world wide web with ease by the end of third grade. 

What frustrates me most about this video is not that I am not currently providing these things to my students, because I could.  What frustrates me the most is that I feel that I have a lack of training in this area and I do not feel confident enough to communicate these skills to my students.  Without proper training, anyone can fail.  Unfortunately, with budget cuts, technology spending is lacking.  Not only is training not provided, but the supplies are not there either.  I am forced to either spend my own money on such things or to find alternate resources to fund my classroom.

Although I am frustrated, I still want to make a difference.  I will become proficient in new technology so that I can use them in my classroom.  I will provide technology resources within the classroom so that my students can learn by doing and not just seeing. This video motivates me to go to great lengths to better prepare my students for the future.