Technology Autobiography

My experiences with technology in school are a lot different than that of students today, and much more limited. We were introduced to computers in elementary school, and went to the computer lab once a week. These computers were very different from today's computers. The only applications were word processing, and very simple games. I have very fond memories of playing "Oregon Trail" and "Word Munchers". We thought these 8-bit games were so amazing and would not have believed the complexity of games that are available today!

Other than using computers in the computer lab, the only technology I remember having in school was overhead projectors, stereos and VCRs. As a substitute in all levels of education for the past four years, I have seen how far technology in schools has come. At JCPS, all classrooms have a computer in the classroom for student use. Each teacher also has an interactive lap-top that allows them to write on it, along with a projector. This allows teachers to teach many lessons much more effectively than they would be able to with a chalkboard or dry erase board. They are able to write on the laptop screen, at normal size, and it is projected for the class to see, and they can erase with a click of the stylus, rather than having to use an eraser. They can easily show videos on the projector without having to use a TV & VCR/DVD.

I think technology is an important tool for teaching in today's world. It can make lessons easier to execute and more effective. Using technology can also make your lessons more interesting and easier to fully engage your students. I think it is very important for teachers to incorporate technology into their teaching to expose their students to it. It will also help for students to see the educational purposes that computers and technology can have, as opposed to just the entertainment value they use it for at home. I think it's great seeing elementary school students enjoying computers and using them for educational purposes; they still go to the computer lab like I did when I was their age and play educational games, they are just a lot more interactive with better graphics!

EDIT: I still believe in the importance of technology in the classroom, even moreso than I did prior to taking Teaching with Technology. I now have a much better understanding of the resources available to me, and am excited to make use of them when I have my own classroom. I think using technology to teach makes lessons more exciting and interactive, which is great for students.

There is one thing I am wary of, which I realized when reading chapter 9 of the book. EVERYTHING in our lives is moving to technology. Almost all books will be available to read online soon thanks to google. I also believe that before too long, each student will have his or her own laptop and do their school work on that. In fact, some schools have tried this already, such as Moore Traditional School. I absolutely hated it as a sub, and I would feel the same way as a teacher. Every class should not be taught in a computer lab setting, and students should not sit at a computer all day long. It is impossible to monitor what each student is doing on their laptop, and of course many of them are off task, surfing the web, playing a game, etc. So I do hope that we continue to keep SOME things traditional. Students should still read from books and write on paper. I don't think it would be good for them to sit at a laptop for 7 hours and read from textbooks online and type everything they do for class, and I do hope that it does not come to that. Technology is already addicting to many children. I know people who are addicted to video gaming and play games every second of their free time. I believe we should continue the traditions we had before technology became so advanced, such as playing outside, reading books, drawing and coloring, writing letters, etc.

Other than that, as long as we don't take technology so far as to allow it to rule every aspect of our lives, I have a very positive outlook on where technology can take us as educators. I believe students today are at a bigger advantage than we were when computers were very new, but as educators we will have to continually watch for changes and keep up-to-date with the evolving technology. Richardson mentioned at the very beginning of his book that education is one of the fields that adapt to technology the slowest, so we must continue to do our part to keep up!