My Presentation - A work in progress

SURFING THE TECHNOLOGICAL TSUNAMI by Steve Williams 12-12-2007

Like it or not, technology is bursting through the doors of every classroom. Some teachers are flooded with wired tools while others are eagerly awaiting the arrival of modern magical devices.

Whether you're drowning, sinking or swimming, it's time to start surfing the wave of technology that is coming. The future is going to be very different for us teachers. We will be expected to use technology in ways that require adaptability, creativity and innovation.

I first presented this digital collage of technological awakenings at the Visiting International Faculty Conference in Atlanta on January 25th, 2008. It had a greater impact than I had expected. Many of the teachers that attended told me afterwards that they had no idea that this was such a significant issue. I made the assumption that most of them knew what a blog was, or a wiki, a podcast or RSS feed. Some of them were not familiar with interactive whiteboards, or were desperate to learn about using one. This blog is a response to that event and an attempt to share what I find in order to help educators think about how they can get started or keep up to date with what we will be facing in the classroom of the future.

I look forward to many responses, comments and ideas being shared on this blog and I am excited about reaching the minds of millions of teachers who can feel the ground shaking with the coming of a great change in the way we learn and teach on this planet.

I will be presenting an upgraded version of the presentation at the Forsyth County Digital Schoolhouse event on March 1st, 2008. Watch future posts for some more information and a copy of the presentation for you to download.

In the meantime, have a look at this video I created for the Promethean national video contest about using their interactive whiteboards and student response devices in my classroom. It made the top 20 in the USA!



You can also download my award-winning Promethean flipchart on the Promethean website here. You'll need to register, but don't worry, it's free! if you don't have ActivStudio software, download the viewer here.