"Teachers will find that they cannot guide and evaluate students' multimedia projects as effectively as they can the text-based projects that they are used to. To help, we need more art teachers working across the curriculum with content-area teachers. The most pressing need right now is to develop design skills, graphic literacy skills, and skills that knit together pictures and words into unified presentations."
Reaction:
While I agree that this is an important first step into the education of digital literacy to students, I believe the content teachers themselves should be learning how to use the digital tools available to their students as well. As teachers we need to remember that one of our duties to our students is to constantly learn with them. As technology and the world changes, we have to be able to adapt to those changes in the classroom. Content teachers shouldn't rely on others to teach students how to express themselves. Art is becoming an important part of learning and to facilitate that new media we as teachers need to master the tools ourselves first and then teach them to students. A baby needs to learn how to use a fork before they can successfully (and neatly) feed themselves just like a student needs to learn how to use the tools of digital media in order to successfully express themselves using technology. Art is like any other subject matter, you have to learn the fundamentals before you can become great at it.
Teachers owe it to their students to be students themselves when it comes to learning new tools and technologies for teaching. Just because you aren't comfortable using a digital media tool doesn't mean that you should deprive your students from using it. Teachers need to teach themselves before they can ever begin to use any educational tool in the classroom.
We must remember as teachers we should never stop learning.
Citations:
Ohler, Jason . "Art Becomes the Next R." Educational Leadership Magazine 58.2 (2000): 16-19. Google Docs. Web. 22 Sept. 2011.
LIFE. "senior on computer - Bing Images." Bing. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=senior+on+computer&view=detail
This is a great point! Teachers do need to remember that they need to constantly learn with their students. I believe extended learning is very necessary in every field of work because society is constantly changing and its important that every field moves ahead with the times to make sure that future generations of learners get the best education possible.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great response to that quote!
I really like that you mentioned that it is the teachers responsibility to be a student themselves. I completely agree with you! If all teachers thought like that they might be able to move effectively educate their students. Interesting response!
ReplyDeleteTeachers do need to be lifelong learners. The biggest challenge will be for teachers to learn to sift through the images, sounds, and text to identify the fundamentals of any good story, essay, report, etc: introduction, body, and conclusion. A question that comes to my mind is, what should be a good substitute for words in a digital project?
ReplyDeleteYes.I like your saying as "A baby needs to learn how to use a fork before they can successfully (and neatly) feed themselves." It is useless to teach someone something which you are even not that familiar with. Since never too old to learn, we need to update our knowledge to meet the high demand of our students or we will be disqualified.
ReplyDelete