Where I came from...Where I'm going...

When I came into this class seven weeks ago, I actually felt like I knew a good deal about technology in the education setting and using it in the classroom. What I came to realize, was that I only knew the very tip of the iceberg! Not only have I been introduced to so many amazing apps and programs throughout the duration of this course, I also realized there are so many more ways to integrate technology into the curriculum than I ever realized!

One specific example that sticks out is the screencast assignment. I had heard the term before, but was never really sure what it was. Completing the screencast assignment for this course, I found, not only is it really difficult to talk for any extended period of time and not mess up when you are trying to teach via screencast, it’s also a GREAT tool I can see myself using in my future classroom. I can literally make videos for my students of how to use an app or website or technology tool, make it accessible on my teacher website, and they can access it as much as they need, show they never have to worry if they don’t catch every detail in class or if they just need a refresher- it’s there!

I feel like I am better prepared now to use technology in the classroom (which I will hopefully get a chance to in student teaching) because I have a lot more tools in my technology toolbelt, and I know how to incorporate many of them! I hope that I am going to now be a lifelong learner of technology because that is the world we live in today, and if I do not keep up I will miss out. I am very aware of the fact that the students I am going to be teaching have grown up with technology pretty much since birth. I have to respect that fact and not expect them to “power down” completely from the technology they know just because they come into my classroom, but rather I have to integrate that technology, which is so much a part of their lives, into my teaching if I truly want to reach them.

#Technology #Education #Teaching