Notes from Millie D

On the eve of EduCon 2.0 it is time to shift the conversation of the impact of technology in the classroom from those who don’t use the technology to those who are and what tools are they using.

What should we be putting into our classrooms technology wise to achieve School 2.0 goals?

I understand that if we don’t have the person in front of the classroom who can use these tools it doesn’t matter what we put in there but let’s move the argument forward. We have a lot teachers who can and we need to promote what they do to help move others along to meet 21st Century Skills.

Tonight I asked the question in Twitter “If you had a $1000 to spend on technology for your classroom what would you get?” The results didn’t surprise me (more computers, cameras, ipods, mimios, webcams, microphones, etc.). I’ll bet if I asked the follow up how would these tools impact student learning/achievement others would be inspired to at least learn more of how they could use these tools in their classroom. The Return on that $1000 Investment is too great when it is used appropriately to ignore.

We need to be telling these success stories and helping to inspire others especially those new to the classroom.

Photo Source: Andywirtanen. “My Children” http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywirtanen/180890814/ (Jan. 21, 2008)