Cabrini Blog Post #2

I have the unique opportunity to work with a colleague who is a huge proponent of the digital age learning culture.  This individual is constantly seeking new technologies to better connect his students to the curriculum.  Each approach to a new technological advancement is designed to fill a void in the student interpretation of the content.  The best part about this teacher’s approach is that he is always willing to share all of the unique findings with the other teachers.  He has introduced the department to Edmodo, educannon, Study Island, and TedEd.  It is remarkable how rapidly he identifies technologies that can be used within the classroom and his willingness to try.  The desire to improve student achievement through technological advances is not without mistakes and it is through these mistakes that we learn what works and what doesn’t work. 

The introduction to various web-based technologies is only one aspect of a true technological leader.  This individual also advocates for the necessary hardware to run the required programs.  A true technological leader would not just show all the technology, but show how it can be expanded to your classes and identify the required tools. 

I model myself after this individual in that I try to stay current with all the web 2.0 tools.  Unfortunately, there are more and more applications being designed each year and I struggle to keep up.  Unlike my peer I am not exactly comfortable with failure of an activity due to technology.  I am always willing to share new technologies when I know they are successful, but the audience is often non-responsive to these new approaches to education.  I look forward to collaborating with individuals who are open to sharing information about the new tools for education and advancing educator’s tools to improve student achievement. I found the following TED talk interesting about the future of data collected from all of the digital means around us and how that data could transform our society.  I believe the same mindset should be applied to education and that as a collaborative we can better reach students.