Journal Post #1 Chapter 1 Becoming a 21st Century Teacher

Focus Question: What roles does technology play in the lives of students and teachers?

In the 21st century most people are using some form of technology.  I see two year old children using iPods and iPads and items like it.  My own five year old knows how to use my phone better than I do.  My 12 year old has to be pried away from PlayStation online.  My 18 year old can text like the wind.  Due to a seven year gap in my children's ages, the youngest has learned much quicker and used technology a lot earlier than the other two.   Today there are Apps for everything you can think of.  Restaurants and department/grocery stores and the like are all getting on the technology train too.  Just this week alone I ordered a gift, a pizza and refilled my prescription all from my cell phone!  Since all the students are using technology as a second skin, today's teachers not only should, but MUST utilize technology in many forms to teach their students.  It is the only way to keep their attention at this point in time.  If they can't be pried away from their iPods and cell phones, then USE them to get to the student and find what ways will reach them.

This technology age does not just benefit the students however.  Information in many forms are now at a teacher's fingertips....literally, and seconds away to be delivered to the students.  If looked at in the right light and embraced, technology can be a great tool for students and teachers for everything from grades to research. Teachers can communicate quickly with both parents and students.  How about sending out a reminder to the students AND the parents at the same time about an upcoming test?  The possibilities of how technology can be used are really limitless.

Tech Tool 1.1

This section talks about items for technology that teachers may need to be functional in the 21st century classroom and their uses.  The three items were a smart phone, laptop and tablets.  As a student and a full time employee in Administration, I already use them all.  I have truly found the benefits of all three at times.  I once did an assignment and thought I sent the email and then left home. Thankfully my professor had emailed everyone a reminder so I checked my email on my phone, just to make sure I had sent my assignment.  Apparently I had only put it as a draft and had NOT emailed it!  I was able to retrieve it on my cell and email it to my professor right then. In general though, if you have a laptop and a smart phone, you don't need the tablet.  The tablet I have mostly used to share information I find with others and to read.

Summary & Connection

After reading this chapter, I am very grateful that I have embraced technology since high school. I could not imagine coming into this profession (or even college) without the prior knowledge that I have.  This is the second week of class and I've already learned new things.  Although not hard to follow, I had not used Google for school assignments or posted blogs before.  Since I am not afraid, and am actually eager to learn these new things, I am not overwhelmed at all the information, but am excited to learn more and how I can later use these in a classroom!  There are so many different tools out there.  I know I may not like them all, but I at least need to experience them so I can learn what works for me, but more importantly, what may work for my future students.

Resources:

Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.