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Myth: Its you vs.

students technology in class


Teachers who were once the sage on the stage and the holders of all knowledge
in the classroom are slowly being replaced by the ever prominent Google search which
can be found on most every personal mobile device that students carry around with them
daily as if they were glued to their hands. How are teachers supposed to compete with
the students technology in this ever-changing world? Are teachers at risk of losing their
jobs and being replaced by personal inanimate mobile devices?

David Thornburg

suggests that [a]ny teacher that can be replaced with a computer, deserves to be
(Atkins, 2015).
Teachers that will succeed realize that the days of being the sage on the stage
are over and they will seek ways to adapt their methods to reflect the current learning
trends and tools. Fullan (1982) stated that educational change depends on what teachers
do and thinkits as simple and complex as that.
Its not you vs. students technology in class as the myth suggests. Its a matter of
the teacher realizing a new paradigm. Rather than battle the technology that their young
students are wielding, they should look to harness the power of these devices so they may
be used for good. According to Bitner and Bitner (2002), some teachers are afraid of this
change while others feel they need motivation and support with this endeavour. School
leaders should be mindful of this and include teachers in the decision making process
regarding any technology implementation. Furthermore, there should be resources and
training available to any teachers with questions about integrating technology into their
classroom.

Alberta does a wonderful job with this providing teachers access to two
documents: Bring Your Own Device: A Guide for Schools and Digital Citizenship Policy
Development Guide (Alberta Education, 2012a, & Alberta Education, 2012b). This guide
is not intended to be top-down administered policies whereby every school in Alberta
must follow these rules and regulations set out by this governing entity. It contains
suggestions on how school administrators and leaders should approach Web 2.0 use in
the classroom so that it benefits the students while keeping them safe in a digital world.
Victoria Cornelius is a 4th grade teacher at Palm Pointe School that has
successfully harnessed the power of her students electronic devices (Meru Networks,
2012). She is no longer a sage on the stage and stated Im rarely in front of the
classroom. Im usually walking around my whole classroom (Meru Networks, 2012).
Furthermore, Terence OLeary, Assistant Superintendent of Information and Instructional
Technology at School Board of St. Lucie County, attested to the successful methods of
teachers like Victoria who have used students technology in class for good reasons by
saying theyre empowered to connect their devices . . . it just works (Meru Networks,
2012).
So for all of those teachers that believe it is them vs. their students technology,
rest assured that it doesnt have to be that way. If you can get over our fear of change
and get some support from your school, you can easily harness the power of their devices
and use them for good.

References
Alberta Education (2012a). Bring your own device: a guide for schools. Retrieved from
http://education.alberta.ca/media/6749210/byod guide revised 2012-09-05.pdf
Alberta Education (2012b). Digital citizenship policy development guide. Retrieved from
http://education.alberta.ca/media/6735100/digital citizenship policy development
guide.pdf
Atkins, A. (2015). 4 Education Technology Myths to Leave Behind in 2015. Retrieved
from http://blog.tophat.com/education-technology-myths-to-leave-behind/.
Bitner, N., & Bitner, J. (2002). Integrating technology into the classroom: eight keys to
success. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 10(1), 95-100.
Fullan, M. (1982). The meaning of educational change. New York: Teachers College
Press.
Meru Networks. (2014, August 13). St. Lucie County School District ensuring success
of BYOD initiative with a Meru Wi-Fi solution.
https://youtu.be/C7svz760VAo.

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