The Enormous Magical Building

In the last couple of days my mind has been bouncing back and forth between, loving what technology can do, and trying to put technology into a category or some defined area that I can separate from the rest of the world.  Everyday I see kids zoned into their screens with the world passing them by.  Parents give their phones to their toddlers to hush them.  Couples sit at restaurants on their phones rather then talking to each other.  I understand that technology is important and that it is important that kids have the opportunity to learn with is, but is bringing technology into the classroom encouraging this behavior?  Technology is all around us, how do we manage it so that it doesn't consume us?  How do we hold on to our humanity?

As I've attended Jeff Utecht's class I've realized that I have been focusing on the negative impacts of technology.  I understand now how I can use technology as a tool, a node of knowledge.  I am excited to teach children the good within technology as they learn about the vast resource they have nestled within their palm.  Connectivism is essential within the classroom.  Imagine that learning took place within an enormous magical building where with a blink of an eye a student can be transported into any room within the building.  Within that building a student has assess to not only books but the authors of the books.  This building has magical rooms that transport students to another country.  There are rooms full of information from different time periods.  The information seems to be limitless, but that's not all; within the building students are able to read each others minds and know what others are thinking, especially the ones that are too shy to speak out.  There are rooms where students feel comfortable collaborating, creating, and discovering.  Just being in the magic building creates cognition.  There is also a special wing for teachers where they can collaborate, network and share idea's.  When the teacher is in the building she has mental telepathy and is able to see students thought processes while working.  Now, imagine a teacher standing outside that building not allowing her students to enter.  Instead they are to learn all they need to learn from her and the limited resources she has within her small classroom.  Not only that, but ten percent of her resources have been outdated or proven wrong but no one knows which ones.  WOW!  I would NEVER be that teacher that doesn't allow students to enter.  I would swing the doors wide open and let my classroom in.


I now understand why we as educators have to include technology into our classrooms.  It is not only important to open the doors to the resources technology offers, but we also need to understand that there will be new knowledge tomorrow and show kids how to access it.  Connectivism isn't just about using technology.  Its changing the way we learn and what we need to learn.  We cannot rely only on what we know because the world is constantly changing.  "Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today."(Siemens, 2005) My hope is to become a facilitator that breaks down the classroom walls and allows my students to enter the magical building where learning is limitless.