Tech Biases and Beliefs

Assignment next week: Tech Biases and BeliefsHow do you feel about the use of technology in the classroom?

• Obviously in today's world, students were often born and raised on some sort of tech device. I have had students who can't sleep at night if their trusty smartphone is not resting next to their bed. Being that students are immersed in a tech world. it seems quite logical that we as teachers really must incorporate technology into our classrooms to improve learning. 

Are there certain types of technologies you like, don't like?

• I love the possibilities of tablets in the classroom, but also are a bit wary of them as well. One of my old schools that I used to work at has gone completely iPad! They do not have your traditional paper textbook in the school at all. All the texts have been digitalized, teacher's editions included. This has definitely excited the students and has gone a long way for increasing the reputation of the school as a cutting edge educational organization. Teachers and students alike are pushing the boundaries of education on a daily basis because they are forced to incorporate personal technology in a classroom setting that traditionally has revolved around a book and lecture. 

• On the other hand I have had quite a number of teachers describe a high degree of frustration in the daily use of the iPad. Students often find many ways to distract themselves through games and videos that then disengages the students from what the teacher is trying to accomplish in the lesson. Those teachers stated that its frustrating trying to compete for the students attention and if given the choice, students who struggle in the class will rarely choose staying on task over playing online games. If teachers are not properly trained in the use of iPads in the classroom, they can become more of a distraction than a help. 

What have been your educational technology experiences?

• All my classes have some technology incorporation built into the lessons, projects have students writing assignments for my social studies classes use google docs or google presentations. They share their different drafts with each other for peer review as well as myself to help those students produce quality work that match expectations. Beyond that I have not dug deep in the uses of other online applications that could improve the learning for my classes.

What are you hoping to discover in these classes this year? What are you hoping to avoid?

• I am excited about the possibilities of discover new educational tools that I am not currently aware of or familiar with. I would then like to learn how best to incorporate them into the classroom. I use the online tools quite a bit, but mostly to help myself become more efficient rather than discovering new ways to use them in my classes. 
• I would like to avoid just relying on my current knowledge of online applications and use previous ideas to fulfill the assignment requirements for this class. Rather I would like to dig a little deeper and produce all new content and ideas.