Reflections on Session 1: Week of 1/17

Wow! I must say - I am a little more overwhelmed and intimidated already that I thought I would be. It's odd to admit, because I do not often feel intimidated in an academic setting - but unfortunately, I am lacking in technological skills and always have considered myself a true pen-and-paper girl. Needless to say, watching the videos ("Engage or Enrage Me" and "Digital Learners") made me cringe in fear, since I am 100% the teacher who prefers old-fashioned paper-and-pencils, word processing, and Powerpoint! Sigh. I have a lot to learn!

On a more positive note, I have already learned a great deal just from this first session! I found the article incredibly fascinating, and had no idea that up-and-coming technologies were tiered into "near term," "second-adoption horizon," and "far-term," regarding when they will find their way into the classroom. Knowing this information really helps me to focus and prioritize my own learning. I will certainly be looking into integrating iPads and cloud servers in my future classroom!


Additionally, this first session helped me to abolish my own views on technology in the classroom. While I always believed that technology is important and very useful, I did not think it was absolutely necessary in every classroom. But this view of mine failed to take into consideration the way students learn today, and the fact that depriving them of using the tools they know and love would be depriving them of reaching a deep and meaningful understanding of material. My prior view on technology in the classroom came purely from my own preference to keep instruction simple and to-the-point, and did not consider the interests of students today, or the way that they learn best. In all of my Temple classes, I have learned that an effective teacher is one that incorporates a student interests and life outside of the classroom into lessons and assignments to achieve maximum learning - and being up-to-date on technology in the classroom and unafraid to use it in lessons and projects is one way to achieve this as an educator.