Week 2 - New Pedagogy?

Week 2 – A New Pedagogy?

Wow! This is a question. Technologies coming at us every day – just heard of a new one - bing.com – at such an incredible pace! Just a year ago, who heard of Twitter? Just six months ago, who heard of HULU? Heck, I only went on YouTube last summer! Yet, many of my students have either never been to Google, or are at the opposite end of the spectrum and use a social networking site every day (heck, every hour!). I do believe these technologies should be used in education in a very structured way, depending on the type of class, age, and skill level of the students.
One dilemma presented is that students are being connected “in ways never possible before”, and that education is not keeping pace with technology, and “schools have by and large been resistant to these shifts.” At the core is the challenge of how to realize and use these technologies’ potentials as educators in our own institutions.
Another dilemma is the vast amount of information - and ways to get it – out there for everyone. The educator may be well versed with one technology – students may be very ahead or behind. Also, what will the standard become – how will we get there?
One thing I believe is that this technology does not need education to make them work. Students will use them in spite of us – we need to be not only versed, but mentor students on the best use of the technology. Is it a new pedagogy? Yep, and it’s here to stay.