Ditigal Natives

When you take a moment to just stop and watch, a person can become very overwhelmed with the amount of technology that is involved in our daily lives. It would be close to impossible to avoid using some form of technology: cell phone, television, remote control, I-pod, mp4, I-pad, computer, email, internet, grade book program, YouTube, DVD, DVR, etc. It only seems natural that we, as teachers, step up the involvement that technology could have in our classrooms. In doing this, there are several benefits and drawbacks that incorporating technology could have in our classrooms, students and expectations.

Why wouldn’t a teacher want to take this step? Simply put: time, effort, and availability. One of the important points that the book constantly addresses is finding the right kind of technology to enhance your objectives. This process will involve time, effort and even money which are three areas that teachers already struggle with. Class time would also be impacted to give the students time to work with a new program as well as effort to create resources to compliment the technology you want to use. The biggest challenge that I could see teachers having would be the time available in the computer labs that could accommodate their class sizes (my average class size is 35 students) on a regular basis.

Now, let’s focus on two of the positives. Class and individual motivation could increase due to the way technology can grab attention and can invoke learning through several different styles. The students’ level of understanding could escalate through the use of technology because it provides opportunities to lead them into situations that foster the use of problem solving and critical thinking skills as well as allow for the chance to see what the student’s prior knowledge is on the subject because of the way they approach a project.

I think I often underestimate the impact that technology could have in my classroom. Watching and hearing Sam work her way around in those different programs – I saw my students in her. I often watch my students in amazement. When I have the opportunity to get my student in the computer labs, I ask find myself asking several questions to my students about what they are doing and how they are doing it to increase my level of understanding. What seems to take me hours to figure out, takes them minutes. I saw this modeled in video where Sam was educating the college students with a gaming program. The college students were obviously taking a class on the program and it was something that she just enjoyed using. I fail to acknowledge how important those opportunities are in the classroom when they have the chance to teach each other and work on their communication skills (which has been impacted by our technology driven society).

Using technology throughout your curriculum would not only benefit the students but if used correctly, allow for teachers to see how well the students are connecting to the material. As Sam mentioned in the video, technology allows for limitless possibilities. I need to remember how important this could be.