Computers are an immensely, and
utterly obvious, important part of the educational experience. Without a
computer, how could I write this blog? How could I take this class? Without
this class, I can’t be a teacher. I think you see where I’m going with this. The
amount of educational tools readily available in a computer is unfathomable. People
of my generation grew up using computers in school because technology literacy
had become a core standard in curriculum. But I still agree that we need to
stay up-to-date with the technology our students’ generation will grow up
using.
As an aspiring Elementary school
teacher, I will use computers everyday in the classroom. I can use them to
support and enhance my lessons, input grades and attendance, and allow my students
to access educational materials at home. I hope this class can help me learn
the most recent tools in educational technology so I can better guide my
students toward success.
I absolutely agree with labeling
today’s youth as “digital natives”. Not only do these children see technology
as a normal part of their lives, they also cannot function without it. I’ve had
my fair share of stubborn and struggling digital immigrant teachers. The
difference between my teachers and myself is that they saw technology as an
optional tool while I saw it a necessary tool. My teachers believed their
hand-drawings of graphs and pictures were acceptable to us and adequately aided
our understanding of the topic, while we cringed at the questionable details of
the drawings and wondered why they couldn’t just pull up a picture from the
Internet. With the rate technology is evolving, I anticipate there to be some differences
between my future students and myself in terms of how we use technology.
Although, I do believe that since I consider myself a digital native as well,
I’ll be much more on the same page with my students than my own teachers were
with me.
