"Lifelong Learner with Technology" by David Bullio

"Lifelong Learner with Technology"

by David Bullio

I suppose one could stone me for using the term "Lifelong Learner". It is something that we hear repeatedly in the world of education, as well as out of it. The word "technology" is also another word that people could argue we hear too often, whether it is Apple's latest innovative product or how teachers are using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, we are certainly inundated with "technology talk". However, I will now ask my readers to please put down the "stone" for a second and allow me to explain as to why these words are so important to me.

I honestly believe if one is going to be a lifelong learner in the 21st century then one will certainly need to incorporate technology into their tool kit. In the 2009-2010 school year I went to a workshop at Yokohama International School where they addressed the theme of using tomorrow’s technological tools in the classroom today. As I sat in the workshop I was surrounded by educators with their laptops and Iphones who were tapping into the "new website", or "Web 2.0 tool" at the same time the presenter was. As I sat there with my paper notebook jotting down websites to Web 2.0 tools I could use in the classroom, I could feel how the world of education was going forward with technology. With or without me. I also realized that those who do not embed technology as an important tool in their "learning kit" could be left out of some valuable learning experiences. So from that experience, I personally decided it was important to make a stronger effort to embed more technology into ways that I learn and to allow technology to play a bigger hand in my lifelong learner journey.

When I think about how technology will play a hand in my immediate future learning, I know that as Canadian International School’s newly appointed Primary Years Program (PYP) Curriculum Coordinator I will have to master and utilize the resources on the IB’s online curriculum center. This website will play an instrumental part in helping me to explore unit of inquiry planners from other schools, gather information on what a Grade 6 end of program exhibition should look like, as well as a place where I can get important curriculum documents for teachers. Also as PYP Curriculum Coordinator I will be expected to make sure that all of the elementary teachers at my school have access to the website, so that will require me to learn how to gather user names and passwords for them as well. I know that I will also be learning how to book PYP workshops for my teachers and this will also be done completely online.

As I look down the long term road and ask myself how technology will play a hand in my lifelong learning experiences, I am sure there will be things that are not even present today that will impact how I continue to learn. I do know that I will remain open to using and trying new technologies as some of these new ones will continue to pave the way for how we learn best. I introduced my colleagues to the Web 2.0 tool xtranormal.com and some of our students really got into it as the chance to make a movie with fun characters really captured their imagination. This is what technology offers us lifelong learners, the chance to continually capture our imagination in new and unimagined ways.

In conclusion, I hope the “stones” have been put gently back on the ground as I have tried to make a compelling case for how “technology” and the term “lifelong learner” are good words that aim to direct all of us towards a greater horizon. I know that as I travel along my road as a lifelong learner, it will be truly important for me to make use of the unimagined learning opportunities technology will throw my way.