Again I agree. I am so curious to know what folks did before the advent of email and the proliferation of laptops. How different every job must have looked a mere two and half decades ago.
In my opinion technology has great potential but the implementation and the USE is what is off. The war on education, the increase in standardized assessments, and the push for more data without looking at how meaningful it is and if it actually helps teachers teach and students learn is truly detrimental to our progress.
In my utopian educational world teachers would be able to work with developers to create the tools that would serve them instead of being slaves to the tools for data collection and reporting. Instead of an over-reliance on one size fits all, teachers would lead the charge on relevant and timely instruction with feedback to fuel future growth and learning.
Teachers are truly the most important individuals in any society yet we as a country are not treating them with due respect. As a community of lifelong learners who have degrees in higher education, maintain up to date certification, and engage in continuous professional development they are not nearly as valued as they should be and it is taking its toll on the ambition of the next generation. Who will want to be a teacher when it has become such a sanctioned based job, especially in this climate of privatization?
