Hello everyone! We will be using this blog to share our reflections on the readings and topics covered in class. All blog responses should be 100 words or less. I do not expect summaries of the readings but instead reflection about how the concepts and information can be used in the classroom. You will also comment on at least one other students post each week.
Your posts will be done in the comments section of the main posts. Review Chapter 2 in the class book and read the Digital Natives article. Post a comment of 100 words or less reflecting on the readings. Please do not summarize readings, instead try to think about how the readings can be applied to your teaching practices in the future.
Reply to at least one of your classmates posts.
Reflecting on the chapter and the article. I feel as the diversity between students experience with technology is a problem in modern classrooms. In my future classroom I hope to successfully integrate technology in a way that is beneficial for all. Personally I have never been one to benefit from too much technology in a classroom, but with the growing age of technology using more devices and software to aid learning could very possibly be beneficial in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with this comment because I myself haven't really benefitted from technology as much as other people have too. I think it is just another item in this world that can better this society but then again cause some problems. Internet and technology are so useful and I am not denying that but I would also like to see more devices and software in the classes to see our different options.
DeleteAfter reading Chapter 2 and the Digital Natives article, I feel a little worried and concerned with the demand of technology nowadays. The "digital divide" is starting to narrow even between the elderly and the youth, which leads me to imagine my future classroom will involve a lot of technology. My thoughts on the reading, is that I agree that it can be useful and vital to learning, but I have yet to encounter a situation in which technology played a huge part of my education in a classroom setting. I am glad that I am taking this course now and not playing catch up later, because I want to be able to incorporate technology in a beneficial way to students, however, I have to admit, I do not want technology to be the main focus, as i feel it takes away from social interactions and could stint social maturity/growth especially for early childhood.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Jessie on the idea that if technology is used in an appropriate way in the classroom that it can be useful. But I too am worried because the generations today are growing up depending on technology which to takes away from social interactions and social growth. I see it more and more everyday with new tech advances like texting or social media apps where people aren’t interacting face to face, but rather through words on a computer/ phone. As teachers we have to find the gap between appropriate educational tech uses and what is not when it comes to students learning. Growing up with technology can either make or break a generation, but I too am hoping that we can make helpful uses out of technology instead of using it to dumb down generations to come.
DeleteWell said!
DeleteTotally agree with you about not wanting to play catch up, with elementary aged kids having their own laptops and cell phones, they are learning even earlier than I did back then; Although it's important to be able to learn from your students, it would be nice to have a head start on learning what they know.
DeleteAfter reading Digital Natives and Chapter 2 I realized how much technology is going to make an impact on my future classroom. I know that children are getting more and more reliant on technology, but I don't think that this is a good thing. It gets rid of the social interaction that is essential for children as they grow up. It's a good idea to incorporate it into the classroom, but I don't that that all teaching should revolve around technology.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you believing the digital divide is not good. Me personally I feel being a teacher means face to face is essential. A gap can be left in a child's social rearing if not exposed to face to face teachers. In doses technology is good but a solely online class for kids not in college in my opinion ruins the learning experience
DeleteI completely agree. The thought of education focusing on the use of technology scares me. In my opinion, teaching through computers and tablets takes away from so many social experiences young children need to learn about. Sharing, face-to-face communication, and social etiquette, just to name a few.
DeleteAfter reading Chapter two and the Digital Natives article, I find myself realizing more that as a future educator, that technology will play a huge role in the classroom whether I like it or not. With the idea that the "digital divide" is starting to narrow between generations I will be teaching students who grew up dependent on technology. I was never one to spend a lot of time on technology which makes me extremely nervous because I don’t want technology to be the main use of knowledge in my class. The use of the internet has created even more inequality among the population of America which can be tricky for a diverse classroom, but my plan is to use technology as a starting point in my classroom, but not a final product for gaining / obtaining knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I too am worried that we will be teaching students that rely too much on technology. I want to teach my students through face to face contact and social aspects rather than just through technology. I believe that technology is becoming a vital aspect of our growing world, however, I do not think it should be the main focus in a classroom.
DeleteAfter reflecting on Chapter 2 and the Digital Natives article, This world would not be the same without technology and internet. This is an absolutely known fact. In the readings, both of them pointed out that "Internet use" is comfort. People with lower wages might not have internet but I don't think that's the biggest problem in today's society. Today there are now schools, libraries, stores and even restaurants that have wifi connection. I myself did not have a computer at my house during High School but that didn't mean I didn't learn less or didn't do good in school. In the classroom I hope to learn in the future from my fellow classmates and professors how to better our internet skills and explore different options for internet use if some can't afford to have it at home.
ReplyDeleteI feel very conflicted after reading Digital Natives and Chapter 2. I read into how the world’s dependency for technology has grown to even in the classroom. Teachers are now incorporating the Internet, Wi-Fi, apps and websites. These connect to students, grade them, and devise activities. In my school experience, I saw projectors, websites like blackboard, and even cellphone use incorporated in the classroom. I felt sometimes overwhelmed. The generation below me is more emerged in it and creates a continuous divide between educators and the educated.
ReplyDeleteI also am unsure how to feel about this large technology movement in the classrooms. I believe it makes learning more complicated and adds way too many distractions to this formula. Although I am a believer of "if it's not broke, don't fix it", I don't see this technology movement stopping for anyone or anything.
DeleteI also am not sure as to how to handle technology in our own future classrooms whether to stick to what we know and stick to the way that we learned growing up. But, I believe it is never a bad thing to have creative ways of incorporating technology to help assist in a lesson.
DeleteI feel as though this class will hopefully be helpful to us all in learning how to use technology that will benefit our classrooms. I agree with Brendan that this technology movement can and has made learning more complicated and distracting, but I can also see the advantages of using technology in a way that would enhance a student's learning rather than hinder it. Technology is going to continually advance, and I think it would be useful and helpful for ourselves as teachers and for our students to incorporate technology into our classrooms, utilizing the parts that would most benefit students!
DeleteI also do not see this technology movement ending anytime soon and don’t think that it’s necessarily a bad thing either. In my high school we used blackboard, other various websites and even incorporated cell phones into the classroom and I thought at times it was very helpful. What I didn’t like however was how some teachers used these techniques while others did not making it confusing to keep things organized. Also I’m afraid of the classroom becoming to dependent on technology making school a lot less social than it is right now.
DeleteAfter reading Digital Natives and Chapter 2 of the textbook it is very easy to see how important technology has become and will continue to become throughout the years. Although I am not someone who is dependent on technology currently, I think that by the time I become a teacher it will be inevitable so I need to get used to it now. I hope that my classroom is a place where technology is used in a positive way to help my students benefit from it as much as they possibly can. Many people are very nervous about technology taking over the world, but I think that it has so much to offer everyone and I look forward to using it in my future classroom!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the use of technology in the classroom is inevitable. With how much its growing the teachers need to keep up with it even after their degree to keep implementing it into there classrooms. I think that the teachers that fall behind in this will be the teachers that students begin to dislike and not want to take as time goes on. So that is a big motivator for me to keep myself up to date with the big technological advances and uses throughout my time teaching.
DeleteReflecting on the article and chapter two, I have learned that whether i like it or not, technology is going to be a large part of my classroom. The digital Natives article explains how the use of internet has created more inequality in America. For me, learning how to minimize the inequality in the classroom will be the challenge. The 'digital divide' shows that i will be teaching many kids who grew up around technology so this class should be very beneficial to me. I believe learning with simple books, notebooks and pencils works just fine, but we all must be ready to adapt to change at all times. I will do my best to learn what technology has to offer and educate my students through it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on your thoughts about how technology is going to be apart of our classrooms and there is nothing we can really do about it. I think I have a simpler outlook and am more comfortable with paper and pens instead of tablets and laptops. On the other hand as a teacher I feel I am called to prepare them academically and in a worldly way so that they can flourish later on in life.
DeleteAfter reading Digital Natives and Chapter 2 of the text book, I learned on how in the time and age, children are excepted to just come into this world knowing how to pick up a piece of technology, and immediately know what to do with it, when truthfully, that isn't the case. The "digital divide shows how there are both students who know technology, and students (like me) who are extremely limited when it comes to technology. The thought of technology in the classroom is exciting, but also very scary to me. Technology can be so helpful and is so educationally unlimited, but it truly limits our social education, which in my opinion is just as important and factual education.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article and chapter two I have mixed feelings about technology. I believe that if used properly, technology can greatly benefit those who use it. On the other hand, if technology becomes the focal point of students' learning it could hinder their growth in both social and educational aspects. As a teacher I plan to incorporate technology in certain aspects of teaching, while also using teaching skills that do not require technology. As the use and demand for technology grows, I believe it is important that we as students learn as much about it as possible so that we can eventually become the best possible teachers for other generations.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of not being so dependent on technology! It's important to incorporate it, because let's face it, technology is everywhere, but I don't think anyone should be dependent on it. For example, I think it's sad how some schools are thinking of getting rid of their libraries and only using online books. I'm not really the type who can learn by staring at a computer screen all day, but maybe some are.
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DeleteI like the idea of using both methods, but it's apparent that technology is slowly taking over "traditional" teaching. As teachers, I believe it's our duty to increase our technology literacy because the children we are teaching will need it more than we do in the future as our society continues to make the plunge into the ever increasing digital world.
DeleteAfter reading Chapter two and the Digital Natives article, I found some things that were very interesting to learn about including the relationship of internet use to social inequality, and the importance technology plays on just about everything we do. I never realized how large of a population of Americans were “digital immigrants”, and how race/ethnicity, income, and gender played a role in this digital divide. It was disappointing to me on how dependent we are, even as educators, on technology. I think technology is a wonderful thing but I think it should be used as something supplementary instead of a necessity.
ReplyDeleteI also found it very interesting about the amount of Americans that are known as digital immigrants, and how big of a factor race and ethnicity have on it. I agree that our society is extremely dependent on technology and I think we will only become more dependent over the years. Although there are many benefits of using technology I agree and don't think it should take over and become a necessity.
DeleteAfter reading chapter two and the article I believe that there is nationally as well as globally a technology divide. What stuck out to me was the difference in online efficiency between different socioeconomic statuses. It benefits a certain group to be able to discover technology freely and have more access to in and outside of school. As the technological world continues to grow I feel that we are going to grow more and more dependent on technology. The education level and online experience will increasingly divide socioeconomic classes in the future. As a future educator I want to use technology in the classroom but I would like to use it as a creative tool not just a search engine.
ReplyDeleteOne big thought i had after reading the the Digital Natives article and Chapter two, was how much technology is taking over the world. I grew up in a household, that had connection to WiFi the vast majority of my life. Some people look at the big technology booms as a negative thing on society, but i can only see it as a great thing. With technology we can connect to everywhere around the world and get access to everyone's ideas and thoughts to share with the classroom. The "digital divide" is getting smaller and with that i feel the need to keep up my knowledge on technology. I plan on after my teaching degree keeping up with the changes and implementing them more and more into my classroom
ReplyDeleteIt is apparent that the generations to come will be heavily dependent on technology. With me planning on teaching in inner city schools, I will have to keep in mind that many of my students will not have access to all the technology that will be available. Personally I am more “old school”, so having less technology in my classroom will not hurt my feelings by any means. However for the benefit of the students it will be my responsibility to gauge the ability and accessibility my students may or may not have when it comes to technology.
ReplyDeleteI am the same exact way. I do not depend on technology and will not be implementing a lot of it in my classroom when I am older. That's great that you already know where you want to be placed a teacher for your location!
DeletePeople have told me that “my” generation is tech savvy but I have never thought much more about it. After reading the article I can understand the “digital divide” better. I do enjoy using technology but I don’t think it should have such a precedent in our education system. Having technology in classrooms is like a double-edged sword. It has different tools that can facilitate unconventional learning but also can add complications. Today’s society is focused on technology so I want to prepare my students. Having said that I do want to incorporate traditional teaching techniques. I believe technology can be a great thing but there needs to be a balance.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in a very privileged home, technology has been all around me especially in this generation as technology use has increased tremendously. I feel as though I can use technology well and it is easier for me to figure out how to control things on computers and such, because I have grown up exploring things with technology. As I have grown older, though, I feel like I spend less time exploring since I don't have the time and sometimes kids are teaching me things that I can't figure out on my own. I believe as a teacher it is so important to be up to date on today's technology when this day in age, kids every where are using it in every day life. My mom teaches first grade and uses a smart board as well as ipads and laptops in her classroom. With the technology, I believe that the teacher can learn just as much from the students in technology and makes for a very creative, fun, learning environment.
ReplyDeleteThe "Digital Divide" seems to really apply to my family, with a wide spectrum of technical ability between the members of my household. One thing that really jumps out and is still somewhat under looked is the real-life frustration a lot of this can cause. There are plenty of instances of say my mom or dad not letting me try to fix internet issues on our PC because I was the kid and they were the parent, when really I had way more know how of technology as I grew up using it. It is also kind of odd to think back now how quickly the use of technology can be picked up as a kid too, being from a smaller school and being a couple years older than most of my classmates, I feel like I still had a small bridge to technology that I had to cross as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the chapter and the article I have come to the conclusion that the digital divide has become a real modern issue. On one hand, the exponential growth of technological innovations is an amazing thing because of the many options it gives to educators. On the other hand, there are people who don’t have access to this luxury. Technology will inevitably become a vital part of the future classroom experience and I won’t stop it. The only problem I can foretell is the accessibility by students on the low socioeconomic scale.
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ReplyDeleteWherever we college students end up teaching, I believe it's important to be aware of our students' demographic and socioeconomic status, as the experiment in the "Digital Divide" shows that age and gender are not the only factors that contribute to internet skill and usage inequality. Being aware of this and incorporating our lessons to correspond with the availability and experience with technology students have will aide in helping our students learn. Providing students with access to technology for schoolwork could also possibly help to bridge the gap of the digital divide.
ReplyDeleteThe digital divide is a real issue and one that may very well be growing. Technology can make many things easier especially inside the classroom, but as technology keeps improving so will the devices needed to support that technology, possibly making it very expensive on some of the students families in your classroom. It’s important to have technology inside the classroom for educational benefits and honestly to keep the kids interested but It’s unfair to assume that each kid is on the same playing field when it comes to having access to certain types of technology. As future teachers we need to remember this and take it into account before we assign certain projects to our students.
ReplyDeleteThe generation today has become so dependent on technology a lot more than it has in the past. Every moment, there is always something new and improved. While in middle school and a lot throughout high school, I was very privileged to have laptops and computer labs available to use for projects. As a future educator for early childhood, I do see myself using technology for myself to teach lessons, but not so much for the children purposes. I am extremely happy that I did not grow up in a life where technology was prominent for a lot of reasons. Playing outside and having that imagination of play really helped develop my sense of thought process and motor skills.
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