The “School in the clouds”, this phrase is very impactful to me, made me dream of doing one. It’s been proven with all the research that technology is just a tool, the most important ingredient is learning. Technology will always be present and involved, I think it is how we use technology to make the delivery of learning easier and more impactful. I am a technology teacher and every innovation and new app that I can gather is an additional educational box for me. Blended learning is now a trend that innovators would like to apply in the classroom, I find it exciting to be able to teach students with the use of technology, realizing that all the information and content are just on the tip of the fingers but in the same way, a student will be lazy and reluctant because the data is just there. I believe as an educator it is still our job to motivate our students and facilitate their learning, without the care and connection with the students, no matter how innovative one educator’s class can be, it will still not be enough if the students are not motivated to learn. Learning initiatives will always come from within oneself. I love the use of the classroom screen for every single period, I can write students’ directions, CHAMPS, and timer all on one page. I also use learning management system, Schoology, which is really good because I can organize all the lesson plans, and the contents are always available as long as there is an internet.

Emerging technology is great for teachers and students, as long as it is balanced with learning initiative and motivation to finish the learning. Just like the quote from the spiderman movie “Great power comes with Great Responsibility”.

References:

Mitra, S. (2013, February 27). Sugata Mitra: Build a school in the cloud. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3jYVe1RGaU&t=478s

ProjectHappyWay. (2015, March 27). Best TED talks 2015 – draw your future – take control of your life. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vl6wCiUZYc&t=14s