APAC. Associació de Professors i Professores d'Anglès de Catalunya.:
"Few of us would have believed - 20 years ago - when the use of internet and web-related applications started to enter our lives, that our profession would be so affected by this new development.
The spread of internet has been very influential in the consolidation of communicative language teaching and in the introduction of humanistic approaches which require shared responsibilities between teachers and students and imply a shift in power relationships in the classroom.
But some teachers think that things have gone too far, that the tables have been turned on us. Internet has changed our students radically and we find it difficult to adapt to our new context. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach. Specialist literature describes us teachers as digital immigrant educators and refers to our students as digital natives, which clearly states our disadvantageous situation. Things have changed, and we need to change in terms of approach and in terms of content. There is no going back.
Past APAC conventions have already addressed a variety of ICT related topics and uses. Our 2009 Convention plans to have The NET as the centre of the debates and sessions. Gavin Dudeney and Jeremy Harmer have already confirmed their participation, and we look forward to learning about the expansion of"
I find this post to be very interesting. I am an 8th grade English teacher, who grew up with technology, however not in the way my students have. I can remember the day my family got AOL, while my students were born with internet already in their households. While I do find their ability to communicate face to face can often be flawed. Yet the internet provides great opportunities for both students and teachers. I can interact with students in ways I never thought possible. I can grade essays online, so that students can see feedback instantly. Webquests allow for students to take ownership over their learning. I believe as educators we can work through these problems, because the benefits outway the negatives. Education will change with these new technologies just as mainstream society will.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post, Pilar! I agree with you when you say we as teachers are in a clear disadvantage. It is because of that, we need to adapt and research to find new methods to integrate new technologies in the classroom.
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