1. Do you consider yourself a digital native, immigrant, or even alien? Why?
I definitely consider myself a digital native, as I have grown up with technology being an integral part of my childhood. I am moderately younger than the majority of my cohort (only a meager 22) so I had a variety of technologies in play as I went through my formal schooling years.
2. What experiences have you had with technology in the classroom either as a teacher or learner? Compare high school technology to college technology. Did it improve your learning experience?
If I remember correctly, I had computers in the classrooms I was in from probably the 2nd or 3rd grade, and we were using them for a variety of reasons, though mostly just educational games such as the Oregon Trail (2) at that point. In one particular high school history class that I remember, the class played a middle-ages based video game and it definitely enhanced my learning experiences. In college, the professors generally did not implement the technology in their classrooms to any real extent (they were mostly older digital aliens, so it makes sense I guess). I do wish they had been more involved and up to date in the technological facet of teaching, but I definitely survived and thoroughly enjoyed my undergraduate experience, so I cannot complain too much.
3. Has this article changed your mind about the use of technology in your future classroom? How might you incorporate it? What reluctance may you still have?
This article has not changed my mind about using technology; if anything, it has only enforced my views that technology is an integral part of education. I will, to the best of my ability, implement the latest technology in my classroom so as to give the students (who will have grown up using technology their entire lives) the best chance to learn and retain the information. I do not have any reluctance to using technology, as long as I can make it applicable to the students and to the curriculum I am teaching.
Tim, I feel that our ideas are very similar. Since we are both around the same age, we have grown up accustomed to the use of technology in the classroom. In fact, I don't really know what it's like to not have a computer in the classroom because we have always had the opportunity to type or research over the web. Do you think that it's more beneficial for rural school districts to have access to the internet and other web-based programs so that they are up to date on current events? As a teacher, do you think it should be mandated that technology is integrated in the curriculum?
ReplyDeleteOverall, we have very similar viewpoints on technology in the classroom. Thanks for your insight, Timmy!
I think in this technological age, if a rural school district was willing to spend the money, they could acquire top of the line wireless internet along with all of the benefits that come with it. Along with this, I think it is very beneficial for more rural schools to stay up to date on technology so that their students don't get behind on the 'technology of the time'. I would argue that it could only be beneficial to have technology mandated in the cassroom, if and only if (there's a little math term for Roger) it was regulated enough to make sure teachers knew how to teach it effectively. I think young age is one of our biggest benefits, as it makes us that much more able to relate to our future students!
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