Throughout my 20 years of teaching, technology has really come a long way in the world of education. We have gone from an attendance system on paper to an immediate system that lets administrators know at the click of a button if a student is late or even in class. When I first started teaching, we had overheads that we had to put sheets on in order to present current information to our students, now we can just fire up the smart board and not only does it work as a white board, it also doubles as a projector and interactive facilitator. Although, surviving COVID-19 and online instruction would not have been as efficient without technology. I can’t imagine what life the last eight weeks of school would have been like if teachers would have had to deliver worksheets to houses or send them in the mail. Over 81% of Americans are on the internet at least once a day, while three in ten Americans confirmed they are almost constantly online (Perrin & Kumar, 2020). Although technology changes have been beyond significant, the fact that we, as humans, will always be provided several opportunities to learn, unlearn and relearn, has not changed. I have always strived to make sure my students understand that as life evolves and changes, there are always situations that will require unlearning and relearning. Most of the time, we think about relearning and reteaching as corresponding components, but that isn’t always the case, sometimes we need to rewire our brain because we were taught something in a process that has now transformed into a newer and better process. For example, surgery is nothing like it was when doctors first started experimenting. There have been several students, teachers and current-practicing doctors who have had to unlearn and relearn concepts because of the ever-evolving world of technology. However, I think that it is important to note that learning doesn’t always occur in the classroom and it’s not always educational. As humans, sometimes we need to learn, unlearn and relearn when it comes to emotions and circumstances, as well. More often than not, when trauma happens as a child, a person must learn to rewire their brain. This is another form of unlearning and relearning. Trauma and abuse change and manipulate the brain, and can also have an impact on the size of different structures, or reaction centers of the brain, but oftentimes, therapy and educating yourself can actually help rewire the brain and increase the chances of the brain becoming as close to ‘normal’ as possible (Sweeton, 2017).
I am planning on using Google Classroom for my learning management system. For myself moving out of traditional classrooms in my new role as athletic director I am looking to instill training in the form of athletic leadership. Not having a conventional classroom will move me towards utilizing a blended learning atmosphere. With the spring remote learning our school went towards using Google Classroom, Google Hangout, Loom videos and Zoom. I am looking to incorporate all of these avenues as we move forward in our lessons for OTL545.
References
Perrin, A., & Kumar, M. (2020, May 30). About three-in-ten U.S. adults say they are 'almost constantly' online. Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/25/americans-going-online-almost-constantly/
Sweeton, J. (2017, March 13). How to Heal the Traumatized Brain. Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/workings-well-being/201703/how-heal-the-traumatized-brain
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