As we can read in G. Dudeney and N. Hockly’s How to teach English with technology, the term “digital native” has been coined to refer to someone who grows up using technology, and who thus feels comfortable and confident with it – typically today’s children. Their parents, on the other hand, tend to be “digital immigrants” who have come late to the world of technology, if at all. In many cases, teachers are the digital immigrants and our younger students are the digital natives.
If I think about myself and my attitude towards technology, being a digital immigrant made me feel a lack of confidence and have a lack of training, resulting sometimes in an inability to see the benefit of using technology in the classroom.
I feel my lack of training has been wonderfully addressed by this online course we are finishing and this fantastic online teacher development group with Robert as a competent instructor, dedicated to exploring and teaching how to build teacher skills through the interactive web.
Throughout these weeks, I learned the use of technology in the classroom does not replace using traditional materials such as a black/whiteboard or a coursebook. Rather, technology tools are used to complement and enhance regular classroom work.
I feel I have awakened to a new and endless world of teaching and learning possibilities! I needed to be encouraged to get started by implementing simple technology with learners, such as the creation of a teacher blog I suggested as my Project Plan. With the lots of things I have learned these weeks, now I feel more motivated to try technology-related changes in my classes.
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