Kelly Hines

I loved Kelly Hines' post "It's Not About Technology". I think every teacher, especially those under the age of 35, needs to read this post. I singled out that age group, because I think that group is where the most techno-enthusiast teachers are found. I agree with basically everything Mrs. Hines stated. She made a comment, "When we put innovative tools in the hands of innovative teachers, amazing things can happen. If you put these tools in the hands of teachers who are not willing to innovate, money has been wasted. " That quote was amazing to me. So many teachers of my generation feel that being techno-savvy is a compensation for not being a good teacher. This is not true. Technology cannot take the place of a good teacher and technology should never be used as a means to hide a lack of experience or ability. I also liked when Mrs. Hines talked about how learning is an everyday goal for both the student and teacher. She stated that learning may differ from student to student, but the concept in general must always be the goal. I thought that was phenomenal. All kids view things and concepts differently. The fact that they learned is the most important thing of all. As teachers, we must also be learners. We must, most importantly, be willing to learn our students and how we will be able to help them learn. This is a continual process.