Educational technology literacy is a fundamental ideology that teachers must conform to. Educators in the “Information Age” must be literate in technology and growing with all of the advancements of this day and age. Technology is ever-changing and educators must take the time to keep up with technology. It is of utmost importance that educators incorporate technology into their curriculum.
Educational technology literacy is understanding technology, using technology, and being able to teach and incorporate technology in the classroom. An educator who is educational technology literate uses technology to enhance his or her curriculum. The educators who are technology literate understand technology and the importance that it plays in the new “Information Age”.
It is important for educators to be educational technology literate because of the way that society is functioning in this era. Technology does not only play a part in everyday life but it has also become imperative for furthering one’s education, and finding a job. Most all jobs use technology in their everyday operations. Some require extensive use of technology and it is beneficial for students to begin learning technology in school. Then they can further their understanding of technology in post-secondary education.
It is fair to say that people are products of their environment. I was in high school when technology was becoming popular. However, it was only a state requirement to take typing and word processing. Since I had no special interest in computers my technology education stopped at just that. I took electives in things that I was interested in and felt that I was good at. I did not care for computers nor did I think they were worth my time. When I got to college my professors wanted power points, spread sheets, and all kinds of stuff I had never done before. I was really put into a tough situation, where I had to go out and purchase tutorials and teach myself how to use these types of programs. If my teachers in high school would have been educational technology literate and used these programs in the classroom to enhance their curriculum then I would have known how to do a lot more. It also would have possibly made me more interested in technology. It is the educators’ responsibility to use all kinds of tools to teach students and to make sure that all the students are engaged in learning. I appreciate educators that take the time to prepare their students for everything that is ahead of them.
I am finding that there are more teachers and staff who do not know about technology than there are those who do. There is also a problem with those who do not want to learn. I cannot imagine that they are so ill-informed that they do not want to learn.
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