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.

Technology I Cannot Live Without

I have always considered myself an apt member of the technological world, but have never seen myself dependent on any of the devices or services that I currently use. My first response to this question was my cell phone, but I quickly realized that I leave it in different places all the time because I am just not that connected to it. So as I was pondering what other devices I use regularly, it dawned on me that I always have music playing no matter what I am doing. In fact, I have my iTunes playing at this very moment that I am writing this blog. So with this realization, I would have to say that I could not live without my iPod. I constantly have it on me or plugged in to speakers including when I am driving my truck. The era that I have grown up in with CDs and then mp3 players offered me the opportunity to avoid radio commercials as well as to completely customize my listening experience. Therefore, I cannot stand listening to the normal radio with all of its DJs, constant commercials, and of course the playing of songs that I simply cannot bring myself to enjoy. My iPod affords me the pleasure of always listening to the perfect song at the perfect moment and never having to waste my time listening to someone trying to sell me a product that I will never buy through my truck speakers.

If, for some awful reason, my iPod was taken from me I feel as if I would become a very aggravated and annoyed person. I am most definitely spoiled by my ability to customize my mood based on music and would find it very difficult to rely on a radio DJ to do that for me. Due to the portability of my iPod I am also never without my music, and if it was gone I would have a lot of lonely moments in my day, I fear. Every time I am stuck riding a bus, taxi, or train my headphones go in my ears and it allows me to transport myself. Even when I am alone, I am never in the realization that I am alone because I am listening to someone else singing. Therefore, without my iPod I am afraid that I might be a very lonely person.

Wow! I guess I really am addicted to that thing!!

Philosophy of Integrating Technology

There seems to be no arguments that state opposition to the fact that we are currently living in a digital world. Therefore, in all honesty, I do not understand the concept of excluding technology from education. That is not to say that I believe that only technological lessons should be taught. I still find great value in subject matter that involves no technology at all. I simply believe in the compromising of these seemingly opposing sides.

There are clear benefits to the technological advancement of education. For example, today's students live and breathe all that computers have to offer outside of school so bringing those tools into the classroom will only help to enhance and broaden their knowledge. Using tools such as computers and Internet will allow teachers to expand their lessons to areas which were inconceivable in an age of purely textbooks. It also offers students the opportunity to understand that their "inherit" knowledge and ease of use with such tools can open doors of learning rather than just gaming or facebooking. Integrating technology into lessons allows children to see themselves pursuing a future with the knowledge they gain in a classroom rather than always asking themselves "when will I ever have to use this in real life?".

There are also negatives to integrating technology into the classroom, including teachers relying on it and therefore, teaching children to do so as well. As much as technology can give, it can also take away. For every class that students work independently on their computers, they lose an opportunity to work on their communication and problem solving skills in a group, for instance. If students are taught to always rely on technology, they are faced with the concept of never truly understanding the reasoning behind the action.

That becomes the challenge, I believe. The balance between old and new. I feel that technology should most definitely be integrated into today's education, but in a way that enhances the learning experience. It should be used to broaden a students world, not replace the reality they live in.

Intro

First of all, I feel it is important to say that this is the first time I have ever written a blog. It is not that I do not write, in fact quite the oppostie. I am a constant writer who thoroughly enjoys putting pen to paper. My objection to blogging has always been the daunting thought of laying my thoughts and words out there for others to see. My writing has always been so personal that throwing it into the absolute throngs of people who live in this internet world does scare me to the core. Therefore, although this may be just another school project, it will be quite an adventure and challenge for me. And viewing it in that way makes me approach it in a much more welcoming manner. So I guess I would have to say "Bring it on"!

In a more traditional style of introduction, my name is Deanna and I am pursuing my degree in Elementary Ed. My life goal since the age of 14 was to coach college basketball, which is why I received my BS in Business. Not until I played college ball, at SNHU, did I realize that the constant travel and stress of college athletics was not the right fit for me. Seeing as how I had been coaching for so many years, my parents pushed me towards the thought of teaching. So I became a middle school math teacher for two years and decided that this was my passion. So here I am, hoping to continue to pursue what my aunt, Sister Vinny, calls my vocation.