Blog Post 7

There are undoubtedly many things that go into your preparation for becoming a teacher. One of the most important is being technologically literate and being aware that it’s constantly changing and evolving. In the resource We All Become Learners by Dr. Strange, Mrs. Bennett told us that a kindergarten student helped her with something on the iPad. We have to realize our students have never known a world without technology and they could help us out sometimes. With that in mind, we need to make sure 95% of the time, we know what we’re doing when it comes to technology. It’s a bad position to be in when the students start to doubt you. Yes we can learn from them, but it shouldn’t be an everyday occurrence.

            Another thing to keep in mind is the capability of these students. In the resource  Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten by Dr. Strange, Mrs. Bennett told us that at Gulf Shores Elementary, kindergarteners are using iMovie. 5 and 6 year olds are using what we college students are using. We need to keep an open mind with these students and never doubt their abilities.

            Students want structure and they want to have a set of rules (whether they say it or not), however, they thrive from independence as well. That’s something I’m definitely going to stress in my classroom. I’ll show them what to do and monitor them, but I really want them to have complete creative control of what they do. When we use technology, I want them to explore on their own after I explain whatever program we’re using. They gain so much from independent learning. I want them to say, “Mrs. Hendricks, look what I found! Did you know…” That’s my goal with technology in the class room.

            All in all, technology is the future of education; we need to be fully aware of that. In high school, I had some teachers who refused to use it and still taught using a chalkboard. I believe that one day teachers won’t even have the option. We need to explore every resource given to us and really utilize them and see what all they can do. Technology can help us immensely in the classroom if we let it, but it can also hurt us immensely if we don’t.