Journal Post #1

Teachers are heavily influenced to use technology in the classroom, because of state standards that require them to remain proficient in their ability to utilize technology within the classroom. The large budget for technology in education has led to the implementation of requirements for teachers to have basic knowledge of technology in order to receive job necessities, including certification and licensing and contract renewal. They are also encouraged to use technology in the classroom to aid in daily activities, such as taking attendance, keeping a grade book, and developing a calendar. Additionally, technology often improves the quality of how content is presented, thus resulting in a higher number of students understanding and engaging with the material. As for students, they are influenced to use technology in the classroom to help individualize their learning. The varying ways that different students learn can cause difficulty in adapting to all styles; however, technology allows for teachers to acclimate their content to more styles of learning, including special needs and culturally diverse learning. Moreover, technology allows for students to engage with the content in numerous ways. Technology offers students an outlet to express creativity and learn better communication skills, thus piquing their interest and fosters the development of better focus. As such, this grants for more participation and critical thinking surrounding the content presented.

In regards to the ISTE standards, I meaningfully connect with the design standard. I believe that the addition of hands-on learning through technology can be invaluable in supporting learning and accommodating varying learning styles. As such, the standard to create and design these supplemental activities is, in my opinion, a fantastic way to push educators to try new techniques and establish a more interactive environment. On the contrary, I know that my current skills are unable to satisfy the citizen standard, which entails the educator to encourage to positively and responsibly interact online. As of current, I don’t know how to use many common internet platforms, and, therefore, I can’t accurately advise anyone how to safely use them. I hope that throughout this class I am able to learn how to use these platforms and can learn to effectively advise others.

The term digital native is used to describe those who have grown up with technology being readily available to them, and, as such, rarely possess a memory without some form of technology being present. I consider this to be a very accurate label for today’s youth, as the majority of people my age and younger have had easy access to technology at any time. For example, I got my first phone in the third grade, as did many other children my age, and from then on, I rarely remember a classmate who was far from some kind of technological device. Conversely, many of my elders experienced great difficulty accepting the emergence of new technology. I have noticed that many teachers I have had or worked with often willingly adapt to technology, as it is necessary for their jobs, yet still have great difficulty running some basic programs I have had long experienced. That is to say, it was not a rarity for a teacher to seek assistance from a student in terms of running a program on the computer or finding a website. I never felt as though this put a hindrance on my learning experience, but, instead allowed me to see how to work through common issues. In the future, I expect to grow with developing technology in hopes of reducing the learning gap between me and my students; however, I do anticipate that there will be times when I will need a student to show me how to use a piece of technology that is new to me, but common place to them.