Understanding Educational Technology Issues and Trends

Teachers can connect learning to the experiences of the digital natives, the students, by incorporating learning with the children’s daily technology. One example of this would be having the children use their own personal nooks, kindles, or e-readers during reading time. This would encourage the children to read, while getting the technology that they love. The only problem that I see with this is with the children that can not afford these devices. If the school does not provide these devices, it could lead to children feeling left out and lead to them missing out on technology. 

            Also Skyping with other teachers, professors, industry workers, and others, would give the children endless possibilities of learning the topic that you are working on for that week. It also gives the children the opportunity to ask questions they might have on the topic and have them answered on the spot, engaging the children in learning.

            In Tech tool 2.1, it talks about apps for teaching and learning. As it states in our textbook, if a student has a specific question on a topic, answers are available by accessing an app for that topic. There are apps available for most general area studies, including but not limited to science, English, history, and math. Apps engage children with “visual content that is more interactive”.  Apps also give teachers more resources to find ideas for lesson plans and individual plans for students.

            In a perfect classroom, all of these resources would be available to all students. However, in most schools this is not the case. This is mainly due to budgets that are too low for schools to expand and update their technology. This makes it very difficult for teachers to incorporate up-to-date technology. This is a major set back for the students that do not have up-to-date technology devices available to them at home. While the children with these technological devices are advancing in technology, the children without them are suffering, because these missing components can have major effects, possibility even affecting their future careers.

RESOURCES:

Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Website- www.uscranton.com

            “Technology plays an enormous role in the lives of children and adolescents.(pg.3)” The children in today’s society are surrounded by media. For most children, it is part of their daily lives. Television, video games, and computers are some forms of technology that children incorporate in their lives everyday. Some uses of technology are for learning, while others may use it for socializing. In order to be a successful teacher, I feel that you must keep up with “21^st Century skills (pg.9)”. The reason for this is that a child needs technology to be successful into their adult working years.

            The tech tool on tablets, smart phones, and laptops caught my eye. I feel that almost everyone owns one on of these devices. On the go technology gives students as well as teachers the flexibility to study, research, and manage information without being “tied down” so to say.

            Technology is all around us, and as a future educator, the need to expand my “digital identity (pg.15), is very important, as well as learning more about the progression of technology. I feel that when you combine 21^st century skills with your academic content, it will give the students the knowledge and understanding they need to succeed in a highly technological based society.

RESOURCES:

Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.