Reflections
(Teachers) III.
Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
Teaching with technology is crucial this day in age. I know that the school district where I went to school just recently cut its technology program for elementary school students because there was no one to teach it. I feel this will hurt the students in these primary grades because, like the standards state, the students will need to “develop ..higher order skills and creativity.” This lack of education will make it harder for the teachers in the junior high and high school. I feel this is an important issue for teachers to keep up on because if they don’t, they will be behind any and every other teacher in their district.
A teacher could demonstrate their knowledge and competency in technology by maintaining an active webpage. This could include upcoming events, what’s going on in the room, current issues, a message center so parents could communicate with their child’s teacher and etc. Another way is to find materials for activities on the internet. There are tons of teaching web pages online that anyone can find, demonstrating the knowledge of how to do this would be another way a teacher can “keep up” their technological awareness.
(Students) 2.
Technology Research Tools
Students should demonstrate technological awareness because it is a very important, almost necessary part of education. The schools that I have been to and worked in have a very nice computer lab (or had). This is so that the students can maintain their technology education and keep up with their peers. Like the teachers, students are part of this ever changing society where technology is so heavily relied upon. Students need to maintain their level of education just like their teachers. They also need to be able to do research online, use online testing sites and the many tools necessary for them to advance in the field.
An activity I could do to ensure my students knew what they were doing is to have them write a small paragraph on the computer and then have them change the font, color, size, and all the other little things of that nature that they should know. Again, this would be developmentally appropriate for the age. Another activity I could to is to have them practice typing in a certain program, or with younger students, using the mouse without pushing it all over the table. These are small skills that will help the students be more productive in the future.