Digital Blog Post #A

First, I think it is important to know that today’s children are from the iGeneration. This is great technology that is being used in homes for entertainment. Yet it is still just coming into schools. The computer has many great tools that students can use but, as the book states, some students do not have access to such tools. This is why I enjoyed reading about what teachers can use this technology for. If you go into an elementary classroom today, technology is what you see. You will see some students taking their tests on the computers. You will see the SMART board powered up and ready to be used. It is great that some students that do not have access to technology at home can get it at their schools. Here is a video that describes the Blended Learning (technology in a classroom) and the effect that it has on the students.

 

I liked reading about TPACK. This stands for Technological pedagogical content knowledge. This is a great way for teachers to use technology while teaching their students what they need to know. This website, TeachingTeachers for the Future, is a great site that explains what this is.  This also benefits the students, as we know they all learn in different ways.

Lastly, I liked reading about social media in schools. As we all know, social media is a way of life nowadays. As a teacher, social media can be a good way to connect with other teachers, parents and students. This can broaden their own technology use in their classrooms. As the book says, social media plays an important role in classrooms because it is a way to interact with your students when they are no longer at school. I think that this is a great tool to bring into my classroom.

In conclusion, this chapter makes you realize just how important it is to use technology in your classroom. It is both beneficial for the teachers and the students because it makes it easier for everyone to connect with each other. This chapter greatly explained just how important it is to use technology as teachers.

Resources

Blended Learning: Transforming Classrooms with Technology. Retrieved January 24, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hu4Jy7LHtE

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). Retrieved January 24, 2016 from http://www.ttf.edu.au/what-is-tpack/what-is-tpack.html