Blog Post #1

Technology is very prominent in our society today.  It is important to instill a certain level of technology literacy in students to be a competent member of society and today’s workforce.  The Association for Educational Communications and Technology says, “Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.”  This broad viewpoint gives teachers a general understanding of how they should use technology in the classroom.  These regulations are to make sure that teachers are up to date with the available technology.  Though it is difficult to teach/make current teachers use technology it is important to make the new generation aware and competent.  Technology is a useful tool in the classroom.  Whether for the purpose of organization, communication, and planning or for activities in the classroom, technology is a useful tool.   

 

          The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), is a federally funded initiative that creates standards for people who work in the educational field and students.  The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), is a project by ISTE that is sponsored by the U.S. department of education.  The NETS-T are standards for evaluating the knowledge and skills that teachers should have. 

          I was interested in standards so I looked ISTE up on the internet (using those skills) and found them really interesting.  The standard to “Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility,” seemed very important to me.  With all of this technology in the hands of children, it important to not only teach them to use it, but to teach them what are appropriate and acceptable uses of technology.  I feel like I will need to work on fine tuning my skills before I am able to “Design and develop digital age learning and assessments,” for my students. 

 

          A “digital native” is someone who is from/has grown up in a world filled with technology.  Because “Digital natives” have grown up in with technology they have an exceptional advantage to those who grew up pre-digital age, “Digital immigrants.”  Students, including myself are known as digital natives while teachers are digital immigrants, I definitely agree with this idea.  My school was equipped with smart boards in every classroom and labs of the newest equipment.  Teachers had the ability to use ipads and itouches in the classroom for different activities but never did.  They used smart boards as a screen and nothing else.  Instead teachers made obtuse activities for technology that were out of date.  I feel like the lack of technology used in the classroom did not affect my ability to use technology because I learned it on my own.  I am a digital native, but not for long; in a world of ever changing technology I fear becoming a digital immigrant.  I feel like if I am able to keep on top of future technology, I would like it to be more prominent in my classroom.