Blog #2

I know that this blog is posting under the same date as the last one, but remember I did say that I procrastinated a lot on doing this. Not exactly the way for me to start a class, but I will do better. I promise! After looking over the material for the past two weeks I found one thing to really stand out to me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the different posts that everyone had regarding what they wanted to improve about themselves and technology. Getting to read what others think allowed me the chance to realize that I am not alone in the world of technology. I really feel like I struggled the most last year in finding different ways to allow my students to express their abilities using technology. Teaching a 5th grade math class places some restrains on what you can do with technology. However, I am finding that I can still incorporate technology into each lesson. In my classroom I have a Smart Board (AMAZING!!) to use every day in every lesson that I teach. Having the Smart Board and all the components (Smart Response System) to it allows me to show my students that technology is a vital part of every day life. No matter where we go in the world, some form of technology is being used to get us there. Our cars, airplanes, trains, etc. are solely developed on the concept that technology is the driving force to taking us places. Why should I/we let technology stop there? I feel that technology should be brought into the classrooms for ALL of our students. Not only should students see me using technology in lessons, but they should be doing it themselves. Sometimes we as educators feel that it is too much trouble to incorporate some form of technology into our lesson, but is it? All it takes is a few extra steps, a few extra minutes of our time to develop something that the students will not only enjoy, but will benefit more from. Would you rather listen to the teacher talk for an hour or get on a computer to do your lesson?