Are your students more tech savvy than you?

The results of this poll are so close it could still swing either way. Teachers have to become more tech savvy just to keep up with their students - and it's a lot of work! Many younger children enter kindergarten with quite a background in how to use the various different technologies at their disposal. It doesn't stop there, however. Their knowledge continues to grow until by the time they reach high school they have had more time and opportunity than many teachers to absorb all the new technology.

Younger teachers may have an advantage in this arena than those of you who have been in the profession for a while. Anyone over the age of forty didn't grow up with a home computer - unless you count a Commodore 64 but it is a far cry from what is available today. These people, teachers among them, have had to learn a whole new set of skills that younger people pick up easily because they have been surrounded by advanced technology since birth. Learning a language certainly seems more difficult at 40 than it did when you were 2. The same idea applies to technology.

Anyone with a teenager, who hasn't spent the time boning up on their own computer skills, is aware that their child knows far more than they do. How many of you have asked your teenager to help you with a problem on the computer? If you're being honest, a lot of you raised your hand just then. Now imagine that you are a teacher charged with educating that teenager. Unless you teach a tech class and have advanced skills of your own, it's not surprising to find that many students know more than their teachers.

Let's give ourselves a break, shall we? Until the age of 15 or 16 when they enter the workforce most kids spend countless hours on the computer when they are not at school. Most adults, teachers included, are spending that time working or keeping a household running. Add those hours up and you will see how kids have managed to amass this knowledge that seems to come from nowhere. It's no wonder adults can't keep up. For those teachers who feel that they are as tech savvy as their students - well done. Keep up the good work and if you want to pass any of that information on to the rest of us we'd be very grateful.