8 – Internet & Teacher Movement

The teacher movement will not be televised but will it be broadcasted via internet to other classrooms? The internet appears to be the new swing (push) in education, and I wonder how long will it last. Just who will be in this education movement and could my classroom be a place to witness this? An interesting survey would be to measure the percentage of teachers who are willing to make a commitment to integrating internet technologies into their classroom. Then out of ‘those willing’, I would further inquire into how many are currently doing so. My guess would be that be that 1 out of every 5 (20%) would be willing and 1 out of every 10 (10%) are doing so. (I think that these are high estimates) This scenario reminds me of how TI calculators can be used in a math class room, and I am sure there are examples for other disciplines. Plenty of money is put towards buying the technology, a few teachers here and there use the class set of calculators here and there, and then three years have passed with the technology never coming close to reaching its potential as it sits in the closet with other manipulatives. However, the internet is becoming a way of life more and more everyday, creating a sense of lifestyle with it. I mainly say this because that is how the internet is for me. But then I talk to friends, who are teachers, and they mention how they use the internet once a week or use it just to check email or only use it at work. Overall, I still feel that by becoming involved and aware of the internet capabilities out there the exposure will help me keep at least one foot in this possible current teacher movement.

Now I have not been in the teaching system long, only seven years to be exact. This has been just enough time for me to only see education movements come, not come and go. I would love to hear some stories from math teachers who have been teaching for 30 years and listen to how have they have grown due to the educations movement in their career. Also I would be interested in hearing if there were any similarities amongst the movements, if the implementation was forced, and if certain movements have had any impact on what education is today. This whole process would be like listening to life stories from grandparents. The wisdom of elders is not about replicating what they did but reflecting on their life experiences and then making action from it. Hopefully, I can carry this philosophy with all of my teachers, whether they have more, less, or equal amount of teaching experience, because we all can make an impact on education.

I am extremely excited with recent software developments that can be easily placed into classrooms.
Technology and internet have recently become one of my main hobbies. What is great that my time and passion into this hobby can be carried over into my classroom, such as communication through blogs and creating podcasts. My other hobbies, such as music and outdoors, can also be incorporated into my math classroom but not with the ease and potential as the internet. Now that I will be teaching in the community college (just hired last week) I assume that all of my students will have access to computers whether it be in the local libraries, the university, or in their house. This allows the possibility of making internet a full integration into my classes, almost like a required tool. If I was still teaching in the middle school I do not think that those students would have as much internet access outside the classroom, therefore the implementation would be limited. So with that excuse out the window, I wonder just how far will I go with the technology?

Does being involved in a teacher movement mean starting something new or just collaborating for a like minded cause? When I hear the phrase ‘teacher movement’, I automatically think of positive images, such as a progression meant for the greater good. However, there surely has to be teacher movements that are not as they appear. One where the intent is there but certain follow up actions throw it way off course. What quickly comes to mind is No Child Left Behind, which I still do not know enough information to offer a valid opinion. But could I really point out a teacher movement? Could I observe another teacher at a classroom, or on the internet, or at conference and distinguish that they are part of a teacher movement? The teacher movement must begin with myself. I must find and accept the movements within myself that excites and motivates me to implement mathematics into my student lives the best that I can. If I go around looking for the hot new education trend and hop on the band wagon, then I am merely looking for group to associate with. Yet, I want to stop swinging like a pendulum from side to side. My movement must be one that I am engaged with and frequently contribute to. Sounds like a slogan for Web 2.0.

Perhaps my teacher movement is about exploring the power of the internet as a tool for my math classes. Too often, I think the classroom is seen a location where ALL the learning takes place. I want to move away from this and to an enhanced philosophy. It includes the classroom being a safe environment to share math ideas, a place where answers are not told but contributed and then agreed upon by a community, where students are articulating thoughts to peers, and me the teacher who is not a sage on stage rather the guide on the side. For me, this produces developed humans not programmed student robots. The fascination is that if it is working or even if it is not at all working for me that I can share with teachers around the world. Likewise, my students can share their math thoughts to other students around the word. We all, student and teachers, become connected in worldly math experience. How cool that is! This lead me to believe that the internet allows for a possible grander teacher movement; a student-teacher movement. Now that sounds powerful to me.