Before I began this class, I never realized the endless possibilities that technology in the classroom created. I understood that PowerPoint files and doc cams could be useful within a classroom, but I had yet to grasp the potential of sites, blogs, movies, and interactive websites.
I now think about this every day. I believe that technology could be a wonderful tool. It has become a way of life, even to young children. When they are at home, they are using the television, the computer, cell phones, and gaming devices. Children focus better on a computer screen today than they do on a textbook. A teacher is doomed to fail if he/she refuses to accept and adapt to this.
Though I'm still uneasy about the dangers of including cell phones into the classroom, because I have yet to decided on the best method to manage distractions, I am thoroughly excited about the other options. I have grown to love PortaPortal, not just for the opportunity to share educational and fun sites with my students and parents, but for my own personal use, so that links can be accessed from any computer. Another great tool I am excited about is the use of blogs and websites. I imagine creating a blog within a classroom, and allowing children to become more involved, invested, engaged, and responsible for their learning. The same can be said of a class wiki site, where students can post an article on what they are learning.
The possibilities are endless!!
I know exactly what you mean about thinking about using technology in the classroom everyday now. I was stuck in the world of thinking of only powerpoints and movies. I've seen first hand through working in a shool, that children are much more likely to enjoy and retain information from a computer game, than if they were doing the same exact questions on a flat boring worksheet. I truly hope that schools jump on board with the technology, so that we as teachers may implement what we are learning as future teachers.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel about being hesitant about some uses of technology! I certainly think that with time we'll begin to figure out our own ways on integrating those types of things into our classrooms. We'll end up doing what we feel most comfortable with! I do hope that teachers can unite and create frequent meetings to talk about ideas and concerns they have and maybe as a whole community, we can move forward together.
ReplyDeleteI love how you call it endless possibilities. With the new technology teachers could do amazing things in their classrooms for their students. But I also agree that some technology might not be best for some classes, they might be a distraction for some of them. I believe it is up to the teacher to figure out what technologies would actually help the students learn and what would be a distraction for their classroom.
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