Week One

Suzanne Hund 

                                                           

 Week One Reflections             

I am not tech savvy at all, but what I am learning is that if I want to have a better chance at getting a teacher’s position, I need to embrace technology, not fear it! In my elementary education classes, I have been given the warning that we have to spend a lot more time than in past years, assessing our students. What I like about what it says in the textbook is that getting more proficient on the computer will save time preparing lesson plans (Shelly 3). There are many curriculum-specific resources available to help me as I integrate technology into my classroom (3). What I am excited about is how I can use my creativity and my knowledge of the arts, music and drama, and utilize the media creation tools to make it happen. The multimedia technology systems have made significant advancements in video, digital graphics, and audio (5), that I will definitely take advantage of  to help “stimulate student imagination” (17).  I know that students love working on these creative assignments. I can also see that using advancements in technology will greatly help ELL students to communicate better.

            As a future teacher, I need to embrace the opportunities to get more proficient at the computer (11). The resources will help: “skill-building practice, real world problem solving, interactive learning, discovery learning, and linking learners to a multitude of instruction resources” (11). What I see as an advantage of taking this class right now is learning about putting together a professional teaching ePortfolio (25). I can begin the process and add appropriate documentation of what I consider to be my strengths, and then use the portfolio to compete with younger, computer savvy teachers when I go for a job.

The positive from the pros….There are so many positive elements of what is presented in our textbook of how computer technology can enhance the school classroom.  The experts believe that educators are finally recognizing that in order to prepare students to enter the real world, they must use “current and emerging technologies” in order for the students to excel (11). There are organizations such as the leading International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) that is a great resource to help educators all over the world in education. In the U.S. they aid in developing the National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers, school administrators, and students (11). Educators are encouraged to meet the standards as well as attempt to assure their students do as well (13).

The professionals throughout chapter one believe computers are very user-friendly and easy to manage. For example, “syncing” connects mobile devices such as smart-phones and e-books to one’s personal computer, making it easier to exchange information and keep track of one’s personal data (9). Within the classroom, students can benefit from utilizing their iPod and listen to music while doing their math homework, or get instant feedback on assignments that “sustain desired behavior” (24), as well as help the students that are visual learners or auditory learners (23).

Mentioned in the textbook is Thomas Friedman, who is certain that “the world has become flat in terms of instant communications and global economics” (13), and that today’s students in the U.S. are not ready to compete globally. He stresses the importance of looking at teachers from other parts of the world who teach their students “real world skills” and are able to work better in the global economy (13). I do agree that in order to be effective in this fast-paced world, students need to become life-long learners in technology (13), and when they know it is relevant and important, they will be more motivated to learn and keep up (23).

The negatives from the pros….. Even the experts agree there are problems with the emerging all-encompassed community of digital learners. For starters, there is an on-going debate and opinion on which is better, the Mac computer, or every other personal computer available. There is confusion that a personal computer or PC is only those computers that have the Microsoft Windows operating system, but in reality, a Mac computer is also a PC and there are other personal computers that don’t use Microsoft Windows (7). Even though I agree that PC’s are more affordable than they used to be, there is also the misconception that everyone can afford a personal computer or own a smartphone. In reality, some students choose not to have them and other students can’t afford them. It may be that technology for some families is a financial burden and may be a contributing factor why Thomas Friedman and others experts worry that “many young people are not prepared to be successful in a global economy” (13).

            Some other concerns for the experts is that not all students are at the same skill level. For some students, computer technology comes easier, while other students struggle (24). There needs to be motivation for all of the students to try their best or many will just accomplish the bare minimum (23). The experts also realize that students may not be evaluating their sources when looking for information on the internet (19). I agree this is important, but even more concerning is students stumbling upon inappropriate sites. This has happened to me a couple of times, but I had the awareness to know to get out of that site right away, whereas some students may not. Teachers and parents also have to be concerned for students participating in cyber-bullying, cheating, and believing that everything they read on the web is true (36). Another concern for parents is that their children may also think that everything on the internet is accessible and free (22).

My personal negatives….There are a few things that I disagreed with in the first chapter. On page two in the textbook is a chart that compares new learning environments to traditional learning environments. A couple of points made is that work is isolated with artificial context in the traditional environment compared to collaborative, authentic, real-world context in the new learning environment (2). This is not a true statement. Traditional classrooms have many activities that involve working with other students and the context is not artificial. They need to provide more detail to explain this.

The statement, “… many people believe that the brains of today’s youth have actually become rewired to accommodate the thousands of hours they spend in front of computer screens watching and creating video, listening to music, and playing computer and video games” (15). That is quite the statement and without concrete evidence, I believe it is irresponsible to say such a thing. There is proof however, that children aren’t getting enough exercise because they are spending too much time doing all of the activities mentioned (Hendricks). Following the quote above, the authors of the textbook goes on to say that the youth today speak digitally (15). What in the world does that mean?

The article written by Marc Prensky had insightful comments about how adults (post-college and older) are considered “Digital Immigrants,” however, some comments were insulting. When he mentions that a girl from a highly ranked college decided to quit her course because the professors read from the textbooks (Prensky 3), only proves the girl is a snob who reacted too quickly and missed the opportunity to learn valuable information from the esteemed professors. This statement does not effectively prove Mr. Prensky’s point that educators need to adopt technology to keep up with the Digital Natives; it just makes the girl look bad. I felt uncomfortable that the young and older generations are labeled separately in this digital world.

                                                                        Works Cited:

Shelly, Gary, Glenda Gunter and Randolph Gunter. Integrating Technology in a Connected World. 7th ed. Boston: Course Technology, 2012. Print.

Prensky, Marc. “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” Marcprensky.com. Oct. 2001. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.

Hendrick, Bill. “Most Young Kids Don’t Get Enough Exercise” Web MD Health News. 14 April 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.