Response to Chapter 14: "Unleashing Potential with Emerging Technologies

Sara B. Kajder's chapter in Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice entitled "Unleashing Potential with Emerging Technologies"begins with a short anecdote on how one particular student used technology outside of school to express himself in writing. The chapter then goes on to outline several different technologies available for teachers to use in their classrooms to get students to engage with the content being taught in class. These technologies ranged from classroom blogs, similar to this one,  to podcasts and book trailers.
As I was reading the chapter, one of Kajder's initial comments on the use of technology in the classroom resonated with me a professed technology moron. Kajder writes of teachers that "It's as if our instincts lead us to take what we've done in the past and reproduce the process using different tools to create the same product"  (2007). It is so easy for teachers to fall into the habit of the familiar, and the security of knowing the outcomes of a given assignment. As a result, they forget to explore options for instruction that are pertinent and relevant for the students they are teaching. From personal reflection, this is largely due to a feeling of incompetency. If I do not understand how to use this new resource how can I expect my students to do the same? This largely comes down to an issue of trust. It is important to remember students' ability to learn, adapt and teach even we as educators cannot do so.  I mean this in no way to demean the position of teachers, by stating that students can learn on their own, teachers should let not to let personal fears or insecurities about technology hinder their use of it.
Of all the technologies Kajder outlined in the chapter the concept of podcasting really intrigued me; not only as a method of better monitoring group discussions but as a way of exploring a different method of communication outside of writing for those students who might be more verbally inclined. This process also enables students to think at higher levels as they have to "evaluate what to say, consider options, and make choices" (2007). Because their "Learning rests on risks" as their work is being published online for others to hear, students are more motivated to participate in well organized and thoughtful discussions, making podcasting a useful tool for cognitive and motivational purposes (2007).