Technology in today's classroom is becoming more and more valuable. The generations are changing, and although I like to think of myself as decently technological, the truth is compared to the generation after me, I got nothing! I look at my cousins who are 6 and 8, and already they can navigate their way through the internet and know how to type in information - even if it's not not really "Typing." Because of this, technology is going to become an invaluable resource to the next generation classroom.
As a current student, I know that technology has greatly influenced my learning. Classes today that don't have some sort of powerpoint presentation are almost unheard of. Teachers primarily use powerpoint in the classroom, but they expect for more technological use outside of the classroom. Most students cannot survive without their computer - all assignments must be typed these days. Not to mention the online research and the communication that takes place through online networks like Discovery or Blackboard. More and more technological use is being demanded of the teachers, and by the teachers.
As a future teacher... I see my elementary classroom looking far different from the elementary classroom I remember being a student in. Depending on the financial well-being of a district, classrooms could become largely virtual. I think the use of technology will be vital in keeping student's attention, as more and more technology becomes common at home. Students will be more easily bored by the old ways of teaching, and possibly question the relevancy and currency of it. However, if technology can be incorporated in some way to the majority of what they study, their attention will be held better and it shows that the information does apply in a technological age.
ARTICLE
For my article, I chose to read Embracing Emergent Technologies and Envisioning New Ways of Using Them for Literacy Learning in the Classroom. The article was written by a lower grade elementary teacher in New Zealand who realized that she needed to start using technology as an integral part of her classroom. She realized that most students have grown up with technology used in their daily lives and expect it to be used in their learning processes as well. Since that moment, she has made a conscious effort to incorporate technology in different ways, particularly in literacy - reading and writing.
She first got the idea to start a website, and knew that she needed to make sure that it would be used for purposeful learning outcomes. Otherwise it would just be another flashy piece of her classroom with no real learning value. From here she came up with several different ideas to promote reading, writing and editing. One of the first activities the class did was create podcasts. These podcasts were used to reflect on the learning that had gone on during the week. It had to contain more than simply descriptions of activities that the students had done, but had to include what they had learned from those activities. She also went on to describe how they used the website to publish the student's writing on the website, as well as creating an online thesaurus of new words they learned or that they simply enjoyed the sound of. They have also used the website for book reviews - both written and through podcasts - and communication with other classrooms.
I thoroughly enjoyed this article. I loved how it was a specific example from one teacher's perspective. I thought she did a really good job of telling why she believed it is important to incorporate technology into the classroom, and then providing examples of how she has done it. I learned a lot about different ways to use a class website. Creating a website is one of the first things we have talked about in the class, but I have kind of been wondering what we could do with it. Now, I have some solid ideas that I am excited about, that I can use someday in my classroom. One particular idea that I am excited about teaches about perspective in literature. The teacher sends home a stuffed animal, a digital camera, pen, and notebook, along with instructions for the child and for the parents, to one child each week. Their task is to take pictures of this animal and his adventures for the weekend, and write about them from his perspective. I think this is a great tool because children can have a lot of fun with it - taking him different places and writing stories - all the while learning about a key aspect of literature and improving their writing and story-telling skills. It also provides a great way for students to learn about their fellow class-mates.
Overall, I was really impressed with how well the article was written and the depth of information it provided. I would definitely recommend that any teacher who is struggling with ideas read this article to gain some inspiration.
Halsey, Sue. "Embracing emergent technologies and envisioning new ways of using them for literacy learning in the primary classroom." English Teaching: Practice & Critique 6.2 (Sep. 2007): 99-107. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. Hurst Library, Kirkland, WA. 23 Sep. 2008
NETS STANDARDS
As I read through the NETS standards, the ideas seemed pretty basic to me. Students need to use the technology available to them to enhance their learning. While they do this they need to practice sound ethics, just like one would hope they would in a physical classroom. Students should use the knowledge of technology that they have, and build on those concepts to learn new types of technology. I felt that the basic idea for these standards was that students should use the technology that they have, learn the technology that they don't know, and use all of it in a responsible way to interact with other classmates and peers around the world.
The standards for teachers were similar. Basically as teachers we need to provide the tools and assignments for students to use the technology meet the standards. We also need to provide a safe environment for students to explore in. Also as teachers, we need to learn the technology ourselves so that we can model how to use it, and provide accurate information regarding technology.
These standards are important because they allow students to see that all schools are being held to using technology, and that it is becoming an more integral part of our world and education. It also forces teachers to learn something about technology and challenges them to know how to use it in their classrooms. I don't think younger generations may have a huge problem with this, but for current teachers who are "immigrants" to this technological age, they are probably a helpful reminder.
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