As Usher would say "These are my confessions..." Ed Tech Masters- It's more than "getting good" at Technology

I have to confess! I'm not exactly a Tech Lover- I see myself more as a Tech Liker. Why did I choose this degree then? 1) because I was informed that in order for me to continue to teach that I had to continue my education and go for a Masters.  2)  I know that Technology is only going to be moving in one direction in Education and that is forward so I need to get on it. Using an online gradebook  or class website cannot be the peak of my technological skills. =) Joining this program went quick and so far I am really enjoying it. In only a few classes I have learned so much and I know it sounds cheesy but I'm starting to feel empowered! Because of this, I wanted to know what can I actually do with an EdTech degree so I found these two videos. After watching these I feel excited and now more then ever I want to learn more and more so that I can share my knowledge with my colleagues and my students. What is most exciting is that these videos reminded me that teaching doesn't only have  to happen in a traditional classroom. I actually forget about that a lot. I feel good knowing that there are other avenues I can venture into if needed or if I wanted to.

Video Games and Education 

I will admit that I have always been a video game lover. If only my original Atari or original Nintendo NES  were in still great working condition I'd be a very happy girl. I found this video so interesting because he has such a great take on what video games are and how learning happens. Learning is happening in vid games all the time, kids can easily get  addicted to playing these games and do  play them  for hours on end. Imagine if we could get our students to be addicted to what's going on in the classroom. James Paul Gee is right when it comes to the definition to a video game- all it is is a set of problems that you must solve to win.  Education is essentially that. The prize for winning a video game is a sense of accomplishment, bragging rights and  hopefully an unbeatable score. As adults we know what the "prize" is from learning- a future. Sadly, most students can't see it that way. Imagine technology in the classroom and all that it can accomplish. Imagine all the "games" out there that are made to teach Math, History, Science and so on. How amazing is it that finally something that kids love (video games) can be used to help a student learn the things we want them to learn and they get to enjoy it at the same time. Like Gee says imagine curriculum built so rich that just by going through it, the way we would perceive ways of assessment would completely change. It is mind blowing and I Iook forward to the time we get to that point.