The use of technology in our lessons as a teaching tool is not something new. The inventions such as televisions, video recorders, digital cameras, projectors have been used a lot in teaching and the arrival of the computers, internet hasn't been the exception, I guess. The issue is how to use these technologies effectively to promote and create positive learning environment. Using developing technologies appropriately with guidance of teachers can help to develop higher order thinking skills and help our students to explore the world around them. You can have a look at this link that shows Bloom's Digital Taxonomy's ordered thinking skills and objectives.

Though offering many benefits to use these tools, there are also some issues that we should bear in mind. Appropriateness is one of the issues that can be considered when we use technology with our students. Copyright can be another issue that needs to be taken into account. We should guide our students how to use materials that are presented on internet. Common Creative License can be a guide for us as well as for our students. We may have some technical problems. This may due to the internet connectivity or lack of technical equipment.Digital divide can be considered as this has been disscussed on my previous blog entries. It refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. Not all of us were born into a digital world but at some point become fascinated and adopted many of the aspects but still some of us have the fear of experiencing and looking funny in a social environment in case we do something wrong. Some simply don't see the reason why to use or engage themselves with online tools today; and maybe they are right in a way. If there isn't any point in using, people or our students won't use it, they won't even try it. We should give them a reason to start using these online tools. We should find ways to make them interested to try them. We can give our feedbacks online, if they collaborate on a wiki, we can give them extra glittered smiley faces, online certificates or leave "Well done" notes, send mails to their parents, put extra information about quizzes, the lessons or their projects. It is very easy to attract our student's attention when we integrate technology, internet or computers into our teaching. This is what they are experienced at using and they are already better at using computers or other technologies than the previous generations;us. But the point is to engage teachers and make them realize the importance and the benefits of these tools. This can be achieved with teacher collaboration. First, we should start using these tools and realize the benefits of them and become tech savvy to help our students when they need our help. We should be the leaders to lead our students. Once we, as teachers, see the point in using these tools, our students will be more eager to use them.

Of course, not everything should be led by technology, we should keep the traditional content that works but we should also include the future into our curriculums, and the future is changing and it is changing us too. We can consider the technology as another way to teach our students the knowledge and the skills that we want them to have. We are living in those times when we are all digital and online more than ever. Before I finish, I would like to share a quote that I have read on a blog post recently. It says "You must be the change you want to see in the world." so I want to be the change to make my teaching more collaborative, online and connected. What if you were the change?

Özge

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