Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Journal #1

FOCUS QUESTION
How do new technologies create new opportunities for teaching and learning?
Technology is an amazing mechanism that allows us to learn and grow more efficiently and effectively.  As teachers, technology allows us to move beyond a blackboard and chalk and into a whole new realm of not just telling students about an event, but actually showing them via videos, animations, and PowerPoint presentations.  By implementing these types of technology into our teaching we are able to cover more material in an allotted time while being able to appeal to multiple learning styles at once.  This heightens the chance that all students are able to learn and respond to the given material in one way or another.  Students that are auditory learners will be able to listen as the teacher talks his/her students through a PowerPoint, while those students who are visual learners will benefit by being able to actually see what the teacher is saying, and watch any corresponding videos that he/she may provide directly inside the PowerPoint.  Also, the ability for teachers to allow assignments to be done online allows yet another way for students to engage in classroom productivity.

TECH TOOL 1.1
Ultraportable Laptop Computers
Laptop computers have taken over the computer market.  Many public schools now provide them for student use as well as many students now have access to them in their home.  Even more recently, tablets are available, which is an even more portable way to access information.  With the up rise in laptops, tablets, and smart phones, most students, by the time they reach middle school, or even before, have almost 24/7 portable access to the internet and the endless information that it includes.  This is amazing to think about when we look back, even twenty years ago, when many schools did not provide computer access at all for students.  Laptops are efficient and effective ways to access information, and create documents, portably!  You can now type school assignments while sitting outside Starbucks, or look up directions while driving down the road (as a passenger, of course!)

SUMMARY
Chapter 1
The chapter discusses utilizing technology into the classroom.  It talks about different teaching styles and the fact that some teachers do not easily adjust to the quick pace and ever changing technologies.  It discusses the benefits of utilizing the technology and also talks about why some teachers are less likely to use it.  Personally, I feel that we should jump at every opportunity possible to hold our students attention and help them to better understand the material that we are teaching.  Many kids learn best through watching videos, so we should provide them for those students.  Some kids learn best by lectures and PowerPoint presentations, so we should also provide those.  It’s crucial that we take these advancements in technology and apply them so that we are better able to educate our students.