 The Power to Influence
By Ralph Tolbert, Educational Technology Consultant ()
"I may not change the world, but I'll change the mind that changes the world."
This quote summarizes what education is all about: the influence we, as teachers, can have on our students through our relationships, examples, discussions and curriculum. What potential we have to alter the way a student views his or her role in the world.
As usual I'll now bend the quote to encompass how you can use technology to affect your students. Technology has changed the world and it will change the mind that changes the world of your students. This mind will need communication skills, not just grammar and organization, but also skills in word processing and presentation programs. So teachers that use a computer to generate learning materials and incorporate Web searches in their Power Point shows are altering the students' perception of how to communicate their own ideas. The research notes on index cards that produced handwritten reports for yesterday's students now result in a QuickTime history presentation burned on a CD.
Remember the big budget movies that gave us lasting impressions of the characters and events portrayed in these films: Grapes of Wrath, Ben Hur, The Godfather, Star Wars, [insert your choice]? Students need to know character analysis, styles of writing and point of view, but now the affordable cost and ease of use of digital camcorders, cameras and editing programs allow the minds of tomorrow to tell their story. So drama students still have hours of practice for the school play and speech students still talk to lockers after school, but video technology now provides a feedback that allows the students to see themselves as others see them.
These two examples show how teachers can use technology to change a student's ability to change the world by how he/she communicates and is viewed by others.
Now to give credit to the author of the opening quote — the main character in the upcoming movie depicting the life of rap artist Tupac.
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