Technology Literacy

After reading the articles and watching the videos, I have decided that technology is certainly not implemented in my school district as it probably should be. However, after reading the articles and watching the videos it is also apparent to me that my school district is not the only one.

I have learned that technology is not mandated by law as it should be. I believe that technology is such a wonderful opportunity to allow yourself, as an educator, learn but also educate the students in not only the subject being taught but also but being involved in technology education.

The steps that I will take to further implement technology are to use this blog to become more familiar with it's capabilities in terms of bringing it into my classroom as a tool for teaching math and language arts. I will also explore on the web to research different sites that might be used to create blogs and/or web pages so that I can choose a site where it is middle school age friendly. I want learning to be fun and not overwhelming. I believe it is important to make certain aspects of learning exciting and I believe this is that opportunity for students to show their skills on the computer but also explore themselves and learn about their peers in a school setting.

Challenges regarding the implementation of blogs and web pages are the fact that my student computers have been taken out of my classroom to use for a school-wide reading program so it might be difficult for all students to have the opportunity to create their own blog as I would like. I may choose to have them go to the library lab once a month in order for all students to be able to participate if they are not given the tools at home.

My school is extremely diverse when it comes to financial grounds. They range from close to homeless to wealthy. Simply because students are not given the tools, resources, or support at home certainly does not mean that they do not deserve equal opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed. I need to make sure that these students do not feel left out, therefore, I plan to make it a strictly school assignment where students are free to work on it outside of class if they choose, however, I will provide time to all students granted that some students will not have the support at home.

Even though technology is an area that is observed in observation, I find it ironic that we are not given any training on this topic besides gradebook capabilities. The times are changing and I believe teachers play a vital role in teaching and showing students how useful and meaningful these tools can be; not only in a classroom setting, however, but for their roles in the real-world.