I believe that while technology should be integrated within education, it should only coexist for some research and collaborations and not become a regular part of the curriculum unless it is an IT or computing class. I honestly believe that heavy reliance on technology takes away the essence of a classroom, and instead of the face to face and building of human relationships, it in turn builds upon the environment of learning because the students rely solely on technology. Students lose their capacity to absorb and the challenges that force them to put forth an effort into their studies. Technology is tricky and the dependence on it can lower the studiousness and determination of a student. When I was growing up, I didn't have the luxury of having a basic calculator let alone a scientific one and had to simply learn to do everything by hand and in a timely manner, there was no accommodation just because I couldn't afford the technology. As I grew older, however, I noticed that most people that had relied on calculators growing up could not function mathematically without them unless they were given a very elementary equation.
I believe that different people learn in a variety of ways, much like what is discussed in the Types of Learning Styles. Some catch things quickly, others need to be coddled or pushed, but there is no correct or incorrect way in which a person can learn. Because I feel that way, I think that as a teacher it’s important for me to pay attention to my students and pinpoint what their dominant individual learning styles are so that I can come up with ways to effectively appease them all. Having a classroom filled with children that are mostly kinesthetic learners doesn't mean that I should only cater to them, instead I want to try to revolve my teaching methods throughout the day so that I can not only allow my students of other learning styles a fair chance, but also so that I can try to hone each child’s weakened other learning styles.
Considering I have a solid bias against social media with few exceptions, the technology that’s on my brain would be geared more towards information gathering, presentational tools, and the like. I believe that Youtube, Prezi, and Jing would easily be at the top on my list because they all offer students diverse, innovative ways to present for class projects –and further down the line, professional events. Dropbox, Crocodocs, and Mozy are wonderful for writing assignments, collaborations, or academic portfolio storing considering that they are all free and can be accessed anywhere once uploaded. If used properly, Skype and Jitsi can also be beneficial for students to collaborate on assignments, projects, or tutoring and can also be useful in the long run for students if they need it for professional purposes. I also like the idea of starting up a wiki for the class that I am teaching, allowing students to research and fill the empty pages with actual facts and knowledge or even checking to see if something that I've posted is the truth or is fiction. The web is vast and is a wonderful place for students to roam as long as they are doing so for the right reasons, and so I may think of doing a digital scavenger hunt just to see if they know how to work through the web as efficiently as they think.
My goals in taking this class are to establish the more effective ways to integrating technology into the learning environment so that it may meld together easily. I hope to set apart my teaching strengths and weaknesses so that I can hone my weaknesses and become more well-rounded and capable of positively influencing my students. This class most definitely will allow me to learn about more web tools that will help cultivate my ideal classroom and for that I am absolutely excited to see what else is in store for the rest of the semester.
I believe that different people learn in a variety of ways, much like what is discussed in the Types of Learning Styles. Some catch things quickly, others need to be coddled or pushed, but there is no correct or incorrect way in which a person can learn. Because I feel that way, I think that as a teacher it’s important for me to pay attention to my students and pinpoint what their dominant individual learning styles are so that I can come up with ways to effectively appease them all. Having a classroom filled with children that are mostly kinesthetic learners doesn't mean that I should only cater to them, instead I want to try to revolve my teaching methods throughout the day so that I can not only allow my students of other learning styles a fair chance, but also so that I can try to hone each child’s weakened other learning styles.
Considering I have a solid bias against social media with few exceptions, the technology that’s on my brain would be geared more towards information gathering, presentational tools, and the like. I believe that Youtube, Prezi, and Jing would easily be at the top on my list because they all offer students diverse, innovative ways to present for class projects –and further down the line, professional events. Dropbox, Crocodocs, and Mozy are wonderful for writing assignments, collaborations, or academic portfolio storing considering that they are all free and can be accessed anywhere once uploaded. If used properly, Skype and Jitsi can also be beneficial for students to collaborate on assignments, projects, or tutoring and can also be useful in the long run for students if they need it for professional purposes. I also like the idea of starting up a wiki for the class that I am teaching, allowing students to research and fill the empty pages with actual facts and knowledge or even checking to see if something that I've posted is the truth or is fiction. The web is vast and is a wonderful place for students to roam as long as they are doing so for the right reasons, and so I may think of doing a digital scavenger hunt just to see if they know how to work through the web as efficiently as they think.
My goals in taking this class are to establish the more effective ways to integrating technology into the learning environment so that it may meld together easily. I hope to set apart my teaching strengths and weaknesses so that I can hone my weaknesses and become more well-rounded and capable of positively influencing my students. This class most definitely will allow me to learn about more web tools that will help cultivate my ideal classroom and for that I am absolutely excited to see what else is in store for the rest of the semester.