Did you see what she posted on Facebook?

     Now that I have provoked you into reading my latest post let's examine some of our favorite websites/networks and their connection with education.  It is clear that technology and social media are changing business practices and everyday life.  One area that seems unaffected is education.  In the video, Educational Change Challenge, Darren Cannell discusses this problem and challenges teachers to make a change.  He argues that if you took a teacher from a hundred years ago and placed them in a classroom today, the teacher would feel at home because nothing has changed.  Additionally, he states that educators must be relevant and innovative.  I agree with everything Mr. Cannell states but one factor he doesn't address is that sometimes teachers don't have the power to make significant changes.  Often enough those that make educational policies have never actually taught in a classroom, yet, they make policies and decisions that affect us educators.  Most teachers that I know and work with push educational boundaries everyday.  Teachers in my building have students create Animotos, complete webquests, use interactive websites to create media, create and publish videos on Youtube and much more.  These teachers have embraced the use of technology in education; however, at the end of the year we still must get our students to pass a standardized test.  Administrators tell us to be creative but mandate that we meet NYS Standards and get results on these outdated assessments.  I want to take on Mr. Cannell's challenge to change my classroom but many of the social media networks that my students use daily are off limits to educators.  I strongly believe that if schools/teachers utilize Facebook and Twitter in their classrooms we would be able to engage 99% of the students but like most schools, my administrator has said that Facebook is not an option.  As per the video, Social Media Revolution 2011, social media has taken over our society.  The video states that if Facebook were a country it would be the 3rd most populated in the world.  Sometimes I think teachers want to embrace the changes around us be feel handcuffed by the educational policies and expectations set by those not in the classroom.
     Another issue not addressed in either video is the necessity for technology and limited resources in many of today's schools.  You can't incorporate social media into your teaching if you don't have access to it.  Many schools struggle to keep relevant technology because of the expense.  In today's economy schools in WNY are laying off teachers by the handful.  So where does the money come from to by iPads for every classroom? People say they want education to change but when it comes down to raising taxes so that schools can buy the technology required, it is a different story.  Two things must happen for education to embrace the technological changes happening, equal/fair distribution of technology to all schools and a change in assessments.