I would be lying if I didn't say that moving to a foreign country was not scary. On the plane ride from the US I cried (a lot) and wondered if this "adventure" should be called off. I knew that eventually I would figure out how to speak Spanish, teaching, my new address, transportation, where to find food, how to call home, how to set up internet, where to go if there was a hurricane, how to call for help, and my list went on. The fears I had and the anxiety about moving to a new culture was overwhelming. Yet I still moved and stayed for a year.
For almost anyone put in a new and unfamiliar situation anxiety and fear arise. Why do some people push forward while others revert back to something known and familiar?
My thoughts now turn to our current educational world. There seems to be a divide in teachers - Those that want to integrate new technologies and those that do not. Obviously with anything new, there are proponents and opposition, but why wouldn't all teachers want to use new tools that can make students more engaged? Is this uncharted territory for some teachers? I know that some teachers are scared of technology and too anxious to even try. If something goes wrong, there are 20 students in the class to help you figure out what went wrong! Use their knowledge to help you teach.
It is my hope that many, many, many more teachers in the next few years will realize that living in and participating in the “educational technology” culture is a wonderful thing!
Sources
"Class with Frog" taken by K. Hirt at EIS 2007
excellent way to frame the technology divide in education. I have a brother-in-law who teaches middle school science, love astronomy, is dedicated to listening to NPR, but for years resisted the intrusion of technology into his classroom. It came creeping in through email from administration and coworkers and he insisted that if they can be bothered to come to his room or call than he can't be bothered to respond to their messages. To his benefit, he was quick to notice that technology was most often coming into play not to make the job easier or better, but for some administrative reason to get him to do more with less. He's turned the corner a bit and has been harassing and embarrassing his teenage daughters by texting them on their phones and making up his own abbreviations. He still has a bit of a technology black thumb (he's the only adult I've know who's been able to kill a perfectly good Mac). It amazes me that someone who loves science and is quite intelligent is still pretty much anti-tech in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I completely understand your experience of moving to a foreign country to teach. I also chose to move to a foreign country for a teaching assignment. It was approximately five years ago and I had been teaching a few years, but was stuck in a rut. I needed something new, so I took a year long assignment to teach in Shanghai, China. I was to be teaching English to kindergartners. It started out alright, but quickly moved into a negative experience. After being there for a couple months and teaching 15 month olds to 2 year olds (babies essentially), I realized the assignment was not what was promised and the anxiety became almost unbearable. I decided about three months in to return home and find a job back in the Florida public school system.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question about pushing forward or reverting back, I felt like a total failure when I returned home. I felt defeated and was actually embarrassed because I felt as if people would think I was weak in coming home. In that sense, I reverted to the known. In another sense as I look back, I don't dispute that I was weak, but I took that experience as a life lesson and an opportunity for growth. I learned a lot from the experience and the experience has paved the way for me. I am a much stronger individual than I ever was before I went to China and I can now use this experience to push forward in life and enjoy the days ahead with a stronger sense of self.
To compare the experience of teaching in a foreign country where you didn't know the language or customs provides a unique analysis of the average modern day public school teacher and the technology divide in the classroom. When asked, most teachers would say they teach because they want to see children learn. In order for students to become better at academic skills, teachers need to engage students. When a teacher comes up with learning goals for their students however, they don't usually state, "I want to increase engagement." That seems like to generic of a statement. A no-brainier if you will. Well, of course we want to increase engagement, but we could conversely add to the learner goals, "do you mean engagement to increase writing, or reading, or mathematics?" In fact, the learning objective of today's brain researched based learning environment is to create learner engagement. Many teachers overlook this simple idea. Meeting students on their playing field means that we must build the bridge. With the endless possibilities of the Web 2.0 world teachers are building all kinds of bridges to student engagement. However, as Katie points out, there is fear, ignorance, and media illiteracy which teachers, trainers, and public schools will need to overcome. The question still persists; will this change occur from the top down or bottom up? Until a clear answer emerges, teachers will be pioneering new endeavors as they cut the divide between old and new world learning. The bridges built will have to be constructed with precision and new media literacy, while being built on a foundation of knowledge and collective conscious. Otherwise teaching today's 21st Century Learner will be like teaching in a foreign country as our digital natives continue to explore uncharted territories. Teachers will need to become the Lewis and Clark of this modern day expedition.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good post for me to have run into. Several years ago I considered teaching abroad in Korea and soon left those thoughts behind when I got married. Since I'm recently not married anymore, those thoughts have returned. I'm having a hard time committing (no pun intended) to the change this decision will bring. I fear the language/culture shock and the sheer distance it will place me from my family. I've also become quite comfortable in my current setting and not sure I'm as adaptive as I once thought. Regardless, I'm glad this post provides me with some insight about the possible benefits and consequences of teaching abroad.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the "technological divide," my primary concern is not with the presence of technology in the class, but rather how it's used. I know a lot of teacher who "use" technology, but I'm not sure it's used for the right reasons or in a way that maximizes learning potential. For example, students at our school are placed in a computer lab on a program called Odyssey to retrieve credits after failing a class. It's great curriculum, but it requires the user to be working on-level with very little support. This is a backwards philosophy. How can you move a student from the classroom that provides a moderate level of support to a curriculum that expects them to work independently? If you ask me, students should start on computers to allow those who master concepts quickly the ability to fast-forward. Students who encounter difficulty or need additional support could the receive it in a small group with a teacher then placed back on the computer when they reach understanding again. The bottom line as usual is money.