Opinion of Technology Integration

My overall opinion of technology integration has not changed too much in the last 10 weeks or so. I still believe it is a vital part of education and should be treated in such a way. There are some details about the subject that I am now much more aware about, though. The technicalities and responsibilities that surround the act of bringing technology into the classroom were far from my thought 10 weeks ago and this course has thankfully made me much more aware. Simply telling a student to access the internet can open a world of trouble. Although I am not afraid by any means to integrate, I am certainly much more conscience of the details involved in asking students to work with technology. I think that as teachers, one must constantly be one step ahead of students and that includes the relm of technology. Although it is very difficult to do with the fast eveloving technological world, one must attempt to know where students are going to go next in order to prevent or at least prepare for any type of situation. Integrating technology into the classroom is very exciting as a hopeful teacher and I can sort of see the future classroom with IPads instead of texts, and this course has not only opened my eyes to those possibilities, but also prepared me to deal with the advancements in education realistically.

Literautre Review #2

The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Improving Teaching and Learning Pracesses in Primary and Secondary Schools

The journal article I read was basically a report and although it was not very exciting, it did contain so great information which seemed to coincide with what has been taught throughout this course. This article was a report from a study conducted with four different schools which looked at the integration and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools. Not only did it look at the facts of such integration, but it also examined the thoughts of the teachers regarding the effects of ICT on teaching and learning processes. The study had several ways in which it broke down the information regarding the ICT. It found that integration of ICT favors both teaching processes as well as learning processes and that schools suceeded higher when they posessed such integration. The more that schools integrated, the higher the positive effect that ICT had.

This type of finding simply confirms what has been discussed in this course. Technology being integrated in the classroom benefits both the students' educational experience as well as the teacher's experience. The more that the ICT is integrated into the classroom, the more positive effect it has on both parties. The only issue that this article, as well as the course, did raise is the requirement to modify certain things such as modernizing technological tools, changing teaching models, and re-examining a teacher's role in the classroom. Although this article did not delve deeper into the matter, it appeared to me that these modifications are the only thing holding schools and teachers back from completing integrating schools and classrooms. The benefits of ICT in the education system has been proven to be so high that it seems unexceptable for teachers or administrators to not fully integrate their schools.

Seedlings Show 115

After listening to the podcast about Assistive Technology, I was inspired to do more research on the book that the guest, Chris Bugai, wrote called The Fun and Practical Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools. Although I was unable to purchase and read the book at this time, I was able to find a lot of interesting information in the book reviews. Assistive Technology, first of all, is the providing of tools and strategies to students with special needs that aid in their learning. In some of the reviews, the writers spoke about the strategies listed in the book for considering AT for all students. Peggy in the Seedlings Show also touched on this topic by saying that AT should be trying to reach all learners and not just for special needs learners. My humble opinion is in line with Peggy's sentiments. I believe that there are so many benefits that technology presents to students that the application of such tools and strategies, therefore, should be applied to all kinds of students with all kinds of varied learning styles.

Digital Nation Video

This video had some really surprising facts and opinions scattered throughout the report. One of the most striking things I heard was an early quote from Doug Rushkoff stating that "Geeks are normal now." His words hit me a funny way. The word geek always had this negative connotation to it and I often associated social awkwardness with the term. But now, with the immersion of technology, geeks are at the forefront of our society. They are the individuals that we turn to for help when we can't figure some piece of equipment out. I wonder how that shift from social "loser" to social "winner" will effect places like schools? Will the popularity of students now rely on their ability to master technology instead of face-to-face skills?

I definitely found the Internet Rescue School completely shocking! I laughed out loud when I first saw it, to be honest. It seemed like such a silly idea, but then I heard the statement that it was trying to "recapture a childhood lost to the Internet" and I started to really think about it. Are today's children missing out on their childhood? What are they really losing in this trade for constant multimedia connection? It scares me to think that if I am blessed to have children, I am going to have to fight to ensure that they experience a proper childhood rather than become addicted to a technological world. As a teacher, I am definitely thinking about how different children will look in the classroom if all they can think about is being on-line? How am I to relate to a child who cannot relate to just "being a kid"? What does being a kid even mean anymore?

Literature Review

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Perspectives on the Integration of Technology and Assessment

The article I read was all about the application of technology in the way that students are assessed. It looked at technology being used as an assessment rather than simply pencil and paper. It highlighted the idea by showing the innovation and support for both teachers and learning. The assessments talked about in this article included aspects of integrated knowledge, critical thinking, and problem solving. One of the hopes of this integration was that they would reach across district, state, national, and maybe even international lines. In the end, the technology would form a new era of integrated, learning-centered assessments.

My own thoughts about this subject were very much in line with the authors. Such focus seems to be on bringing technology into the classroom to enhance learning, that it only seems natural and logical to bring that technology into testing as well. The thought that the assessment could truly judge a student's progress will only benefit that student's ability to grow in their academic life. It will also help support teachers in a way that can allow them to adjust their teachings according to the gained knowledge from such innovated testing.

Equal Access to the Digital World

I beleive that all students should be exposed to the world of technology through word of mouth along with use of items. Technology is a part of our daily lives and to ignore it in the educational world is a disservice to the students. Use of technology in the classroom has the ability to broaden the confines of a lesson and trigger a connection with the material that may not have been possible through simply reading a text. Students that are currently in the educational system are also looking at a workplace that is completely drenched in the digital. Without experience with such tools, students are not being properly educated.

Now, with that being said, there is always the issue of money which becomes a part of this conversation. Not all students will have the same access at home or at school to the digital tools availble. I firmly believe that it falls on the teacher to find as many low-cost ways of impletmenting technology into the classroom, like using many of the free tools that have already been shown to us in this class. However, I also believe in the power of language when it comes to this topic. Just because a student does not have the immediate access to a form of technology does not mean that he/she has to go without knowledge of said device or its capabilities. Sinply encouraging discussions revolving around the uses of the digital world brings that world into the classroom. Students will then be exposed to the multitudes of possibilities that technology offers even though they may not have had the chance to physically work with any of it yet.

K12 Online Conference

I just finished watching a video in the archives of the K12 online conference series. It was created by Angela Maiers in December of 2009. The title was simply "Engaging Our Youngest Minds." It was an interesting video that seemed centered around the word "passion." It portrayed this image that children are born as active, engaged learners. Educators are responsible for recognizing that students come into the classroom ready to continue their learning, rather than begin it. A teachers job is to find what the student is already passionate about and apply that knowledge in a way that makes it exciting to the students and encourages them to learn the subject manner that we are trying to teach them. Technology is the TOOL that should be helping educators with this task, and not overshadowing the student or their passionate learning abilities.