Tradigital Learning
Integrating the Past, Present and Future
What is Tradigital Learning
Kevin Honeycutt came up with the term tradigital learning to mean the balance between the past, present, and future is essential to education.
The Past
In the past teachers expected you to hand write everything except for papers. Projects consisted of researching and writing a paper. If you were lucky you got to either build something or make a PowerPoint.
The Present
Now there is a lot more technology available for teachers to use in the classroom. There are iPads, smart boards document cameras, and many awesome apps. These allow teachers to give the students a little more flexibility when it comes to learning. Even though all of these tools are available, some teachers tend to ignore them.
The Future
I see a future where everything becomes more and more digitized. It is already starting to happen. People are relying less and less on pen and paper.
Finding the Balance
Teaching is all about finding a balance. All students learn differently and technology should be used to enhance student learning. This means that students need to have choices. The balance goes both ways though. It is great to allow students to use technology. It is also great to allow students to use pen and paper. In an ideal world, certain things would be done using pen and paper while others would be done using technology and then the students would be able to decide for the rest. This allows students to learn about each while still having a choice.
A Vision of K-12 Students Today
How Do We Achieve This?
Finding a way to achieve this balance is hard for many teachers. One thing that we can do is to educate ourselves on the new technology. We have to know it in order to use it. Another thing that is a must is teacher-student relationships. As teachers we must get to know our students in order to learn what they need to be at their best. For some this may mean taking written notes while for others it means typing their notes.