Looking at 'age' and 'ageism' as cultural constructs which impact the professional work of the educator--how does this interact with other cultural components which impact school and its relation to the community?
"The high-tech gadgetry into which the young teens in the United States are entering is one that some of their parents and grandparents cannot even comprehend or even know exists" (pg. 367). This sentence stood out to me as something I've been saying for awhile now. It is second nature to a Generation Zer to be in constant contact with their friends and parents. It is a double-edged sword. They become too comfortable in "writing" whatever they want but not knowing how to verbally communicate properly. Also pointed out by Gollnick and Chinn, "[A]stute in the use of cell phones, Internet, and other means of staying connected, the Z generation will pose a challenge for both educators and parents" (p. 367). The advancement in technology has been so great over the last decade alone that Generation Xers haven't been able to catch up, or haven't wanted to. In order to be an effective teacher, one must keep up with the latest technologies in able to relate to the students. Students communicate differently now. Students like to e-mail and they expect a rapid response. They are not used to waiting for an entire weekend for an answer. Teachers need to become technologically advanced in order to better serve their students. Also, using technology in the classroom is a great way to keep a student's attention. A lot of students have told me that they like being able to post homework to a website, prepare PowerPoint presentations or use the internet for research. The days of teaching students in lecture format while they take notes are going away fast. Students require instant access to knowledge, hence "Google". Anytime there is a question about anything, someone is logging onto Google. Be it a good thing or bad, I think the technology age is here and students are embracing it and teachers need to as well.
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It amazes me how many teacher think they can say that they're not good at technology, and they are satisfied with that. They have no intention of ever utilizing a very useful tool in their classrooms. Most of them are fearful of all the change, but I think it is imperative for administration to start requiring more technology use as well as backing up that requirements with adequate training. We can't be content with the old way of doing things. Our culture has changed, and teachers need to change with it.
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