When I was a little girl, I wanted to be in Miss Frizzle's class from The Magic School Bus. Those kids did the coolest things! They went back in time to see dinosaurs, swam with the sea creatures in the ocean, and even floated through the human body; all from within the confines of Miss Frizzle's magic school bus.
Ok, so I know the magic school bus is fictional, and I can't buy one at my local car dealership. But the next best thing to having a magic school bus is having a classroom computer.
Want to study dinosaurs? Watch a documentary on YouTube!
Want to learn about stingrays? Google it!
Want to research the respiratory system? There's an app for that!
Unbelievably, with all of the resources available to those of us who are open to using technology, there are some poo-pooers who say, "I didn't have technology in my classroom when I was growing up, and I turned out just fine."
To which I of course respond, "Well, I didn't have pumpkin spice lattes when I was growing up, but I do now, and my life is better for it!" *Walks away in a huff.*
There are also the nay-sayers who worry about what kids are really doing online when they should be learning. I actually think this is a valid concern. However, I would argue that teachers are often meant to be classroom police. Teachers have eyes in the back of their heads, ears in every room in the school, and a nose that can smell B.S. a mile away. If anybody can keep kids on task while online, a teacher can.
The point is, using technology in the classroom allows students to go mentally where only those with a magical form of transport could take them bodily. Who are we as teachers to hold them back because of our own fears or shortcomings?
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