I
think technology is another option for learners to learn effectively and
demonstrate what they have learned. One
of the most attractive aspects of technology is that it can feel like the world
smaller and easier to connect with one another. Technology also provides the opportunity to connect all educational
content areas through common vocabulary and can cultivate the students’ ability
to generalize their skills of different technological processes to any form of
media, which is hugely valuable in our “media-saturated culture” (10 Benefits
of Media Literacy, 2011). Another
advantage of educational technology (listed on the Center for Media Literacy
website) is the prospect of students engaging in their own learning due to the
“real life” application technology has in the students’ daily culture making
the content relatable and therefore more accessible.
The biggest disadvantage of technology is the physical
access for low-income families. Technology can be used to improve and
differentiate instruction, but if a family or student does not have access to a
computer at home, the point is mute. A solution to this is school funding to
make the technology available on site after-school hours. Again, however, if
the school does not have the funding or budget for that it is important to
differentiate instruction using traditional methods as well.
I can think of a thousand and one ways I would like to
use technology in my classroom but here is just a few:
·
A video is an opportunity to make as a
class to catch up students that may have a chronic illness that prevents them
from attending school for days at a time. These are options and ideas that I
will definitely use in my future classroom as well as using videos for students
to document science experiments and reports of their weekend with the classroom
mascot.
·
I will have a classroom blog to involve
the parents of my students in the classroom by creating a page for each student
where they can showcase their work and posting reminders of school holidays and
events.
·
eBooks give so much freedom to provide
extra support for students with disabilities and ELL (English Language
Learners) by simplifying a book being read by the class so the students who
need extra support are not left out. eBooks are also a great option for
students to demonstrate their learning through creating a book for character or
plot development purposes and/or writing a biography or a book about a specific
animal. This technology, depending on the instructions and learning goals
decided upon, can be varied easily for challenge level for older and younger
grades or simply different learners in the same classroom.
In
utilizing an already technological society that continues to ease the process
of making relationships during busy schedules, classrooms need to include
families in defining of instructional technology, recognizing the importance of
the involvement of those families, and use classroom blogs and other instructional
technology methods as a means of connecting them to their students to support not
only school achievement but success as future employees. As teachers it is our responsibility to
prepare our students to be integrated members of current society. Today, and in the future, being an effective
teacher means keeping up with new technology methods and supporting the
students’ mastery of those methods.
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