First, I would like to say that I am not a tech person at all. I think technology is extremely amazing and helpful but I don't use it other than to do homework or to go on social media. As I become a 21st century teacher I am hoping to learn all the technology skills that will be useful in my classroom! As I read 'Technology-Based Textbook,' I found it so interesting that there are plenty of things online other than "out of the book" ideas for teachers to use! There are so many creative things online that can help teachers get their students engaged in the classroom. I have had some experience on Pinterest, most of my lesson plans for my preschoolers come from there! They have some of the coolest most creative ideas. I myself, am not very creative so to have teachers from all over the world post their own ideas online to help out other teachers I find that pretty amazing.
Second, while reading about the iGeneration I was in complete disbelief. The fact that we use ten hours and forty-five minutes of our day on any type of media is so disgusting to me. "Youngsters were spending almost every walking minute outside of school using some type of electronic equipment" (Lewin, 2010). Working at an after school program I got to notice all of this stuff. We would take our kids to different rotations which involved centers, arts and crafts, homework, outside play, tech lab, etc. and every single time at least ten of the twenty-five kids we had in each group would ask us if they could bring their device. I thought it was terrible that instead of going outside and playing with their friends they would rather have their eyes glued to a screen.
Third, There are different kinds of tech tools that teachers can use in the classroom. There are tablets, smartphones, iPods, laptops, etc. All of these things are incredibly useful in a classroom. I know many teachers are against cell phone usage in the classroom but I feel that they use them the wrong way when they are not engaged. There are tons of apps and games that smartphones and tablets have that are very fun and educational that will have the students wanting to learn more and more. I had to observe a seventh grade classroom last semester and I remember hearing the teacher tell the kids to take out whatever device they had and go to this certain app. It was like a clicker game. The game asks you a question that the teacher makes up and all of the students are connected to that one game and they have to answer the right question. Everyone in that room was going crazy! They loved it and you could definitely tell they also loved the teacher!
In conclusion, technology has its pros and cons all depending on how you use it. If you are passionate about your job and wants your students to be engaged in the classroom then you need to keep up with them and all of the new technology that comes to us. There are a crazy amount of things that we as future teachers could do with our students using technology the way we are suppose to be. I am very excited to learn all of these creative new ways to use technology in a classroom and to create my own stuff so I can be successful in the future.
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
