Why Worry with Technology?

Instructional Technology can be useful in livening up the traditional classroom. However, for those who have been in the teaching field for a few years, learning new technologies can be a daunting task. In fact, I would go as far as to say, that most who have been in the classroom for a few years and who are unfamiliar with using technology in their classroom would prefer to stick with old tools or methods that they are already familiar with.

The problem with this of course is that these instructors miss out on all the benefits that instructional technologies offer in better connecting students with the material they are learning. For instance, take blogs in general; this type of technology can be very useful in helping students become better writers and better skilled researchers, who ask the right questions and who can provide more informed arguments on various topics. In addition, they provide a great way of connecting the students within the class and utilizing what students already know to assist in teaching the course.

Even though technologies like blogs can be very useful in the classroom, they can only be useful to those who are using them. So, coming from one of those instructors who also feels that learning a new technology can be scary to another, I would say that the first step to making it less frightening is being willing to try it out.

There is an old saying that suggests that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting new results is a recipe for insanity. Thus, if the old methods are not bringing about the results that we want to achieve for students in the classroom, it would seem logical to at least open up the mind to new possibilities that might bring more positive results for students. These instructional technologies could be the solution, or at least part of the solution, that some instructors have been looking for. It only takes a willingness to be open-minded and a willingness to learn and try something new. We owe it to our students to be as willing to learn as instructors as we hope they will be as students in our classes.