Schools need to Change with the Times

I was at a conference two years ago up in Traverse City, Michigan. The main speaker stated that if people from 100 years ago came back to visit society the only thing they would recognize and understand is the school system. His point in this statement was to reveal that for whatever reason schools seem to resist change while the world continues to evolve. Of course I'm not trying to say that all schools are resisting change or haven't made positive steps, but if we look around many schools remain the same as they were 100 years ago. I feel very strongly in the use of technology in schools and the idea that schools must evolve with the rest of society. Money seems to be the biggest factor in keeping up with the times. As schools continue to make cuts in the budgets, many new technologies are ignored because they are too expensive.

However, it seems that if schools truly want to relate and benefit students we need to change our ways of practice. Many of my high school students spend most of their time outside of school using technology: Mp3's, Computers, Internet, etc. And the amazing thing is most students pick up this technology and how to use it extremely quickly. Personally, I can think of numerous times that a student has shown me how to fix a problem on YouTube or how to download something faster. This is what students know and how they learn, yet when they come to school we resort back to the textbooks and have them silently read 50 pages and fill out worksheets. (One again I know many of us ,including myself ,find much more creative ways to reach our students, but we all still see this going on in schools.) Students can create an elaborate facebook pages and includes links and videos, but when it comes to a history test....that cannot seem to pass. We must think about the ways in which we are teaching our students students. The fact is that most students today don't remember a time without the Internet and cell phones.

I think that if we want to schools to move forward we also have to invest money in educating the teachers and staff on the new technologies and how to use them. It is difficult changing your lesson ideas and thinking of new ways of doing things, but it is necessary to educate this new generation of students. Ideas such as podcasts, online education, blogging, etc. need to be more of a part of a students everyday experience in schools. Once again, as times change so must the education and school systems.

This is me

Hello all,

My name is Krista and I have wanted to set up a blog for a while but haven't gotten around to making one, so I like this introduction. I hope to incorporate a blog into my classroom at some point. Anyway, I currently teach 9th grade U.S. history. I really enjoy the subject I teach and try my best to reveal the importance of history in each of my studen'ts lives. This summer is busy, besides taking classes I am also getting married and moving. I am working hard to remember to relax :) I enjoy hanging out with my friends and working outside. I look forward to get to know you all.