Before I started the W200 class I knew I was well behind technologically. I have only had internet service in my home for three weeks. A fact that constantly nagged at me because of the junior high and high school aged children that I have and their incesant want to use a computer for research, facebook, downloading music etc. So, I am not part of the digital generation. But, the more familiar I become with the options the easier it is to navigate through what I need and want to do. And the options are unlimited!
When computer classes started, in the 1980's, I was in high school. We didn't use the internet or software, we built programs using "go.. to" and "if..then" statements. The advances of the last twenty-five years in this area alone are mind boggling! Add to that cell phones, Kindles, iPods, and other such gadgets and the world is truly a different place. The students in the video are exactly as I see my children and students I have met through my Service Learning projects. They have the latest technology and they are not afraid to use it. One girl said "nobody talks on the phone anymore, we all just text" Nothing could be more true. My daughter once had over 14,000 texts in one month. (She is a straight A student in all AP classes and plays travel ball so she does more than text.) Even though that number was staggering to me, It seemed to be the only way she and her peers communicated.
Technology is everywhere. Using it in my classroom will be a must. A good thing about most of it is that it is engineered to be user friendly. Taking time to experiment with it is generally all that is necessary to start, then the more you fiddle with it, the more you can do. Not exposing my students to as many tech options as possible would be the greatest disservice to them. It is what they are going to have to use in school, work, and in everyday life. I know I can't say all appliances work in the same way but there is a certain pattern to most of it so using one type should help them figure out another. Ther more they experiment with multiple types of technology, the greater their general knowledge in this area.
My thoughts on how to deal with all things digital and technological have not changed. I have learned an incredible amount in the last three weeks of class and internet service in my home. Using Clip Art is easy, making spreadsheets shouldn't take seventeen hours, and I'm not a fan of facebook. I have long thought being an effective teacher would have to include as many interactive devices as possible. My struggles in this class and the way I see the world continually creating new ways to simplify using technology, are evidence enough I needed to get on board , stay current, and teach using technology.
I like how you said that you have only had internet for three weeks. It really made me think since i am only 19 i have been raised with technology in school and at home. I sometimes don't even think about the fact that some people were not raised with the technology there is today. I also like how you said technology is always advancing. Technology is advancing and the only thing we can do is advance with it. I think technology will help us relate to our students.
ReplyDeleteIt is weird that you have only had internet for three weeks. I am 21 years old and when i was growing up we didn't always have the internet or a computer but now I dont know how I went without it. I think you will learn more and more how to deal with all the technology and by the time you graduate and become a teacher it will be like second nature. Technology is everywhere and there is no way to escape it!
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