This is my very first blog post! Well, on this blog at least. The only other blog I have had is a photography blog in high school. That blog was too keep track of our reflections and our photos in case we lost the hard copies. I am always nervous starting blogs or journals because I have a hard time keeping up with them. I am going to try my best to continue this blog when this course is finished. As for Twitter....a social networking website I will be experimenting with in my class this year. I have never used Twitter before and have never wanted to make an account. I am excited to see how I, myself, will end up using this and liking it and to also see how I might use Twitter in my future classroom.
Involving technology in classrooms can be a difficult thing to accomplish. I think that technology can serve a great purpose to push students to learn more and to feel comfortable with the content. I think that since technology is such a daily part of our lives that we need to integrate it into our teaching. Our students are used to using technology such as; phones, iPads, computers. If we integrate these devices into the classroom we instantly interest the students and the students may be more comfortable with the material being studied if technology that they are familiar with is being used. According to this article by Edutopia, “Seamless integration is when students are not only using technology daily, but have access to a variety of tools that match the task at hand and provide them with the opportunity to build a deeper understanding of content. But how we define technology integration can also depend on the kinds of technology available, how much access one has to technology, and who is using the technology” (“What is Successful Technology Integration?”, 2007). This is important to consider when when thinking about students that learn differently. Whether that be their learning styles or their learning preferences, lessons and activities need to be differentiated. By using technology in the classroom, this gives students different options. Some might work very well for some students and some may not work at all for other students. With technology integration we would hopefully have many different devices and uses of technology so that differentiating could happen easily and be helpful to the students.
I want to be a secondary math teacher. Most people think that math is hard in general and even harder when technology is involved. Math can be hard, but using technology does not make it harder. I can use technology in the form of notes, games, supportive activities, and more! There are so many videos online to help student understand a concept. There are also tons of math games online that are free and easy to access. These are just a couple of ways to integrate technology into my future classroom. As a future teacher in the digital age, it is expected that I integrate as much technology into my classroom as possible. I like the idea of blending technology with direct teaching. Some concepts in math are more easily understood if the idea is taught and then a few examples practiced. After this, I would use different forms of technology to have my students practice what they are learning. The Technology Integration Matrix can help me decide how to use technology in my classroom. The matrix helps to organize different levels of engagement with technology. By picking a “Characteristic of the Learning Environment” and a “level of Technology Integration into the Curriculum” the combination of the two helps teachers decide what kind of involvement of technology they might want to correspond to their lesson plan. You can find the matrix at: http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php
Reference:
What is Successful Technology Integration?. (2007). Edutopia. Retrieved from
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