As this semester comes to a close, this is to be my Final Reflection on all things that have transpired and what may come. I feel prepared to enter the classroom and use technology in a lesson because technology is a wonderful addition to have alongside traditional teaching. It can help students learn because it is so diverse and can be used for hands-on experience and creative expression. It allows students to open up and find forms of learning that they can relate to as well as keeps them interested in the lessons that are being taught. It gives teachers different options to explore for future lesson plans as well as a venue to help bridge the gap often held between teachers and students. As a person with a strong technological background, I feel at home with technology and know that it should never become the prime focus of a teacher or the students, for it can overwhelm just as easily as it aids. Keeping up with the changes as I move through my career will be just like keeping up with the latest version of computer code to me. It’s a constant, though unlike computer code it isn’t exactly a must. I will say that honestly the level of technology resources won’t have an impact on my teaching because I feel that a teacher should be versatile and able to use basic supplies or high tech ones. It is an individual’s job to teach, and technology should never be taken into consideration when questioning the teacher’s ability to teach.
That fact may be considered debatable, but people often forget how privileged they are because they surround themselves with other privileged people. The lack of technology resources in the middle school that I volunteered at in South Fulton Country did not hamper my ability to teach mathematics, nor did it keep me from finding ways to get my class involved. If I were to go overseas and teach in a village I would not be provided with technology resources nor would the students I teach have the access to them, yet that would not disable me as a teacher. I stress those sentiments because while technology is ever-changing and advancing, it is only as wonderful as its ability to be utilized efficiently and its’ overall accessibility. Some applications are free, I understand that wholeheartedly, but the technology to run those applications is not and if it cannot be afforded all those applications are nothing more fancy dreams that can never be met.
That fact may be considered debatable, but people often forget how privileged they are because they surround themselves with other privileged people. The lack of technology resources in the middle school that I volunteered at in South Fulton Country did not hamper my ability to teach mathematics, nor did it keep me from finding ways to get my class involved. If I were to go overseas and teach in a village I would not be provided with technology resources nor would the students I teach have the access to them, yet that would not disable me as a teacher. I stress those sentiments because while technology is ever-changing and advancing, it is only as wonderful as its ability to be utilized efficiently and its’ overall accessibility. Some applications are free, I understand that wholeheartedly, but the technology to run those applications is not and if it cannot be afforded all those applications are nothing more fancy dreams that can never be met.