My daughter fractured her wrist in two places last Friday. We went to the Urgent Care near our house and had X-rays taken. The machine used was a typical X-ray machine that have been around for many years. When we went to the Orthopedic surgeon’s office, more X-rays had to be taken. Except, the surgeon was using a state-of-the-art digital X-ray machine. Instead of developing the X-rays on film, he “developed” them in the computer. This was faster, used less radiation, and allowed him to enlarge the image.

At the Urgent Care, the equipment used was typical and didn’t elicit any type of response by me. It was the ‘same old same old’. At the Orthopedic surgeon’s, seeing the digital X-ray machine, seeing the X-rays on the monitor, seeing the doctor blow the picture up to check something out – that made me say, “wow, we are going to get really good treatment here.” It excited me that here was a doctor using the latest technology. A doctor who was staying up to date with technology and wasn’t afraid to use it.

The same was true when I went to my new dentist after my old dentist had retired. Digital X-rays of my teeth, stored on the computer. Appointments made right on the computer. “What great care I am going to be receiving,” I thought. My old dentist is a family friend, and he asked me what I thought about the dentist he sold his practice to. I asked him why he didn’t upgrade his practice when digital came out. The answer he gave me sounded very much like a lot of instructors who have been teaching for a long time, “I didn’t want to learn how to deal with the new equipment, and I didn’t have the time.”

This made me think about my classes. Am I staying on top of the technology, or am I falling behind? Do I use the excuse of “lack of time,” when I don’t want to do something? Unfortunately, that answer is at times, yes. There is so much technology that comes out that it is overwhelming. But in talking with other teachers, I realize I do not have to do everything at once. And I am not. I am taking a few steps at a time. I mentioned before that I am using Google Docs and Elluminate this year. I also realized that last year I started using blogs and podcasts.

Change can be very difficult for us teachers, but we have to adapt to reach our students. I want my students to think, “Wow! He knows the technology and how to use it. I am going to learn a lot from him.”

Another idea is, have I thought about having one of my students mentor me in a new classroom technology? This one is hard to sell, but probably the one that will gather the most respect from your students. You do not need to be the authority on everything so let those with more tech savy help you implement a new technology. Learn the technology together and your students will think your cool.

Isn’t this what you want your students to think, instead of ‘same old, same old?’

Mark Viquesney