Vision of Technology
Prior
to beginning my journey to becoming a teacher, I never thought about how
technology is used in a classroom. The
first time I was exposed to technology in the classroom was as a mother not a student. Last year I went to my son’s open house for
second grade. The classroom had all the
usual things, books, tables where the students sat, work areas, posters on the
wall. The one thing that stood out to me
was the Smart board that the class used on a regular basis. The Smart board was amazing! I watched as my son completed a matching game
by dragging the states to their proper places, I was fascinated.
When
I was in school, the closest we got to technology in the classroom, was having
the teacher using an overhead projector to teach a lesson. The teacher would use markers to write on the
special sheets of film, while the students copied the notes into their
notebooks. The only other type of
technology that I can remember being used in the classroom was a film
projector.
So
what is technology? Technology can be
defined as, “The purposeful application of information in the design, production, and utilization of goods and services, and in the organization of human activities.”(www.busnessdictionary.com) What does this mean? It mean that technology is everywhere and can
be used to help our day to day lives.
Most of us have a cellphone, which is technology. Tablets, computers, laptops, are all examples
of technology. Now we have idea as to
what technology is, how can we use it in the classroom?
Like I mentioned previously,
technology in the classroom when I was in school was pretty limited. In today’s society, technology is involved in
everything we do on a daily basis and the classroom is no different. Recently, I had the opportunity to observe an
8th grade social studies class.
At the end the teacher used the CNN student news website to start a discussion
about top stories of the day.
She
explained to me that they try to go to this particular site everyday so the
students can keep with the world’s story lines.
What a great way to get the
students learning about things that are going on across not only the nation but
all over the world.
Are we moving in the right direction
with technology in the classroom?
According to a recent survey by CompTIA, “revealed that 78 percent of K-12 teachers and administrators
believe technology has positively impacted the classroom and the productivity
of students.” (http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2011/07/14/study-emerging-technology-has-positive-impact-in-classroom?int=96e908) According to this survey we are heading in
the right direction. I think what is
really important to understand is that today’s students are different that
students from years past. Students today
have everything at their fingertips.
News is instant. They do not have
to wait for the newspaper or go to the library to look up a book in the card
catalog. Today’s teachers and future
teachers need to realize that students have access to research from all over
the world with the click of a mouse or the swipe of a finger.
My
vision of technology includes classrooms using Smart boards, laptops and
educational websites during lessons. As
a future social studies teacher, I see myself using a Smart board in a
geography lesson or the History Channel website while teaching my classes. I can also see using a webcam and other
things to connect with a classroom in another country. Collaboration is a great
way for students to learn about different cultures and nationalities.
We are in the age
where technology is changing every day, and I believe that teachers should be changing
with the times. Students are becoming
more digitally literate in today’s society.
In order for a teacher to create a bond with their students, they need
to also be digitally literate. Students
will respond better to a teacher that can use familiar gadgets during their
lesson plans.
What is technology?
definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/technology.html#ixzz3LFG4Fs8k
(n.d.). Retrieved December
7, 2014, from
http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2011/07/14/study-emerging-technology-has-positive-impact-in-classroom?int=96e908
No comments:
Post a Comment