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=Who is a Technologically Literate Teacher? =

What Aptitudes, Attitudes and Values Does He Bring to His Work?
==Must All Teachers Be Technologically Literate? ==

**A bit about this wiki... **

 *  This wiki belongs to and is "maintained" by [|Dr. John H. Strange], Professor of Professional Studies, University of South Alabama and lead teacher for the educational technology class that all students in the College of Education are required to take. **//**

 In 2007, Karl Fisch, author of The Fischbowl and Director of Technology for Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado, posted an essay entitled [|Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?]. His answer was: "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write."

My students have been considering the following questions. To prepare for [|two podcasts on these questions] I provided them with a set of materials on a new blog I have created: [|The Schools of the Future and The Tech Literate Teacher] Now that the students have published their podcasts I invite you to join the wiki and participate in this conversation. **//** Question 1

What is meant by "technology literate teacher"? I have posed this question to the students in the required educational technology class which I direct and teach (in part). This wiki is the space in which I ask them to make their additions to this discussion. I invite you to do so also.

Since the students in EDM310 are not "technology literate" when they begin the course, and probably not at the end of the course either, I have put together a series of videos, blog posts and other materials for them to read and watch as they seek to address the central question of what does it take to be a "technology literate teacher"? You may find these materials beneficial also. Currently they can be found in my [|EDM310 blog for the summer 09 semester]. Soon they will move to a blog of their own and this wiki will be changed to reflect the new address.

I am certain that it takes longer that one semester in a single course to become technology literate. My best guess is that it is a "lifelong" undertaking. Contributing to this wiki will hopefully lead my students (and you?) closer to that goal. It will also help my students identify what they still need to do to become "technology literate" and it gives them exposure to the use of a wiki and it provides the subject for a second podcast which all students are required to do in EDM310.  **

** Question 2 **
 The second question, "Must all teachers be technologically literate?" seemed to me, at first, to be easily answered with a resounding "Yes!" But after some reflection, I now think it is a legitimate question which deserves serious consideration before I leap to an answer. So I invite you to ponder this question as well. Whatever our answer, I assure you that it is certain that all teachers will NOT become "technologically literate" in the near future. Maybe a better question would be "Should our goal be that all teachers become 'technologically literate'?"

You are invited to participate in this wiki as well <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">.
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> There are 6 pages which are available for your contributions to these questions: 1. What should a "technologically literate teacher" know? On this page we will list those things which could be examined by asking questions that would elicit information - things known.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> [[Do|2. What should a "technologically literate teacher" be able to do ]]? On this page we will list those skills that could most effectively be examined through observation or through the production of products.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> 3. What should a "technologically literate teacher" have experienced ? In asking this question In this question I am trying to identify the experiences that a college should provide its students who aspire (or need) to be "technologically literate teachers" even though we cannot devise methods of determining whether the desired outcomes have been attained but we have some reason to believe that the experiences we provide may increase the liklihood that the objectives may be attained. For example, we teach "music appreciation" courses but we do not test for "appreciation." That will only be visible later in life. Instead we substitute knowledge tests. I want to avoid that here. I want to get at the experiences themselves which we think are important in preparing "technologically literate teachers."

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> 4. What attitudes, aptitudes and values also are important in defining a "technologically literate teacher" ? I think this is an important issue to address. We will ignore any effort to "test" for these values, attitudes and aptitudes. Our effort instead will be to try and identify them in order to think more clearly as to how they might be addressed and fostered in an educational setting. I was tempted to lump them with experiences (#3 above), but I think it is better if we address them separately.

5. Must all teachers be "technologically literate teachers"?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">6. Anything else you want to contribute, ask, add, or suggest.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">To use this wiki...
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> You can add material to this wiki only if you are a member of wikispaces. It's free and takes only two or three seconds of your time. Just click Join Wiki in the upper left corner of this page. This will initiate a request that will come to me to enable you to join the wiki. When approved (you will get an email), return to this page and ...

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Then...

Click the appropriate topic and make your contributions. From any page, click the title of the Wiki (What is a Technologically Literate Teacher?") to return to this page. Or use the navigation links on the left side of the page.

To add your comments to the wiki, click Edit in the upper right of the page. When you are finished be sure to click Save in the Editor window that appears when you are adding materials. Otherwise you contributions will be lost. Also please identify yourself in some way (email address, Twitter name or blog/web address so that I can contact your for follow-up if necessary.

Anyone, whether they join the wiki or not, can send a Discussion message by clicking on the Discussion tab at the top of this page.

Yes, [|Google WAVE] would be ideal for this project!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">THANKS!
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