Photo credit to sidduz on Flickr
To begin with, this introduction chapter has really put some things in perspective for me. As a future educator it is really important that I realize the benefits of using technology and how they are crucial in today's teaching environments.
The first concept I would like to discuss is the importance of social media, the internet and other new technologies. These technologies are affecting students and teacher daily. "Most 8- to 18-year-olds are using technology, experiencing a "digital childhood" and becoming an iGeneration of technology users in their teens." (Maloy, 2014, p.17) After reading this, it makes me feel as though students that have had a "digital childhood" will respond better if technology is used in their learning environment. They will be able to grasp concepts and information better because it is something they are familiar with. Children use technology for vast amount of hours when they are not attending school, they are more comfortable and do not need as much adapting to because of their knowledge in computers, internet, etc. For example, this online class isn't as difficult for me because I have taken many online classes and I feel very comfortable with Canvas. If I hadn't used canvas on a regular basis I would be extremely lost for this course. However, it is a tool that is very helpful for both the teachers and students.
The second concept that I found interesting was using technology as an educator and how tools like tablets, smartphones, and laptops become a part of your daily lessons. I have a two year old brother and before he even turned two years old he knew how to unlock my iPad, search for his favorite game, and play it. It's incredible how children are learning and mastering these skills for technology. The video below shows how this school incorporated tablets in their classrooms.
The third concept I would like to discuss is, building my digital identity as a teacher. Personally I think creating power points, online flashcards, etc. are really fun. They can be a great way to get children's attention and help them learn new concepts but in a fun and interactive way. As a teacher I want to take my lessons out of the box, and incorporate new and exciting activities. This article is a great list of some applications that are very useful for the classroom, 52 Of The Best Apps For Your Classroom in 2015!
In conclusion, the future of education highly involves technology and as a future educator I want to ensure that I can get the best out of the new technology. I will use it as a learning tool for my classroom to benefit my students.
Resources
52 Of The Best Apps For Your Classroom In 2015. (2014, December 14). Retrieved September 3, 2015.
Introducing Tablets with Google Play for Education. (n.d.). Retrieved September 2, 2015.
Maloy, R. (n.d.). Transforming learning with new technologies (2nd ed.).
Yay! You got your first post on your first blog!! :) Congratulations
ReplyDeleteThe points that resonated with you are good ones - ones that you'll likely build upon over the semester's time. Nice job on your reflective writing - a skill that you will further develop as you get some additional posts on this blog. You also did an awesome job in finding a relevant and properly attributed photo, an embedded video, a hyperlink and adding resources- excellent!
The things to work on for the next blog post: Your textbook resource doesn't appear to be properly formatted in APA style (see my example blog and/or assignment details for future) and you will want to include the actual URL you retrieved from when accessing web-based content. So for example, using Citation Machine (online citation generator), this is the APA citation for the YouTube video:
Introducing Tablets with Google Play for Education. (2013, November 13). Retrieved September 7, 2015, from https://youtu.be/vzvpcEffva
This provides your readers with expected information and the URL so they can access the original work on the web.
Overall, a great first post - keep up the good work. :)