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__**Reactions to Staff Blog**__

[|Reaction to Mira's blog about teacher issues with technology]

I think perhaps the picture intended to be used from blockposters is a LITTLE too drastic but I can understand your frustration Mira! The issues you mention are very real. What you don't mention in your post is the good old feeling of 'fear' which is a natural tendency for many humans when something is completely foreign and the person will initially feel out of control or 'not on top of things' as I have felt this week to be honest! My husband is an excellent example of someone who has always stretched his limits and has always been hungry to learn; never shyed away from it. He was an Executive Chef until 2001 and was completely computer illiterate. He then moved into the corporate world of food and beverage into increasingly senior positions until he opened his own consultancy in 2006; his computer skills are amazing and he is very advanced having taught himself MYOB, Excell (to a sophisticated level), MacBook Pro, and advanced software packages for designing kitchen plans ect... To me, a big part of this is your ATTITUDE to learning.

I agree Tanya with your observation and the comment by Eric Sheninger that change is NOT EASY. If we really want to start using some of the new technology we can begin to use it, especially if we know it is worthwhile in the long run. As long as we're moving on that path and not just ignoring it and hoping it will go away, we will get there in using new technology in the classroom. I think it is also better to be early in embracing some of the new technology then late. It's worth also knowing that the change is inevitable. A simple example for me is in the early 1990s (when I did my undergraduate degree), I realized that all my essays needed to be word processed, therefore I needed to become better at typing. I downloaded a cheap typing software program and learnt over the next week or so how to type using all my fingers rather than just two! It was difficult at first - I was initially slower using all fingers than just 2, but if I hadn't persevered I wouldn't have increased my typing speed and productivity. So, as long as new technology will clearly be an educational aid, then we should persevere to adapt it in the classroom, regardless of the obstacles.

As a 36 year old beginning teacher, my attitude to new technology has been to try to embrace it and conquer the fear! I had quite a bit of success on pracs at lower socio-economic schools with group-work research lessons on department issued laptops. Year 10 English students studying a documentary film, //The Devil Came on Horseback// went from knowing nothing about the Darfuri genocide in Southern Sudan to effectively sharing their knowledge in only two lessons.The effectiveness of those lessons was obvious in the engagement and higher order thinking that students displayed throughout the rest of the unit. It seems that any new teacher is a computer whiz in the eyes of established teachers so we should keep up with tech developments. plus, any kind of professional support and development is welcome when you are a new teacher! Matt

[|e-readers:disruptive technology changing the way we read] I am very attracted to e-readers myself, my parents recently went overseas and both took Amazon Kindles and given the avid readers that they are, this proved very efficient for luggage purposes! I love books and read a lot also and the library (because books are costly) is usually the way I go, but they often don’t have recent books or if they are do they are already borrowed, so the idea of buying at a fraction of the price or indeed lending/sharing with others through an Amazon book club (I believe) certainly has its merits. What worries me is the possible negative effects of being physically near so much technology; I use my Iphone as my alarm clock next to my bed, I am on the computer a lot for uni and if I now spent 1-2 hours per day reading on my electronic device would it start to threaten my health in some way? I have not done any research on this but the recent studies about mobile phones and the possible association with brain tumours of people that are already pre-disposed to brain tumours in their lives makes me nervous. Otherwise I think it is fabulous and I too would be nervous if I was a major publisher.

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