Chapter 12: Integrating Technology and Creating Change as Teacher Leaders
The three concepts I will reflect on in this chapter is the following:
1) Features of a Technology-Integrated Classroom: Not so long ago I noticed the new technology features being used in school and it is rapidly changing. I still remember watching a movie in a government course I took in my first year of college related to the republic and democrat parties. The professor had brought a heavy TV with a DVD player from the media room to the class and that was in 2009. This is how I remembered watching any films in middle and high school. Just a few weeks ago I finished doing my observation hours at my local middle school and the history teacher played a YouTube video from his computer to the projector and to the interactive whiteboard. It was the same film movie I watched in that government course. There was no need to take out the old TV and DVD player. "Some observers define a technology-integrated classroom as a "smart classroom", equipped with computers or tablets connected to the internet, a digital projector, a DVD player, an interactive whiteboard, digital pens, a videoconferencing system, and other interactive tools" (Maloy, 2013).
2) Technology Integrating Issues: I think one big issue I will face when I become a teacher is having to create stuff online for my students since I am not so good at using technology and I find it time consuming. The book mentions that some teachers use technology as a reward. "Youngsters who behave well or finish assignments quickly get to use technology as a reward; students who misbehave or fail to get work done on time are denied computer use as a punishment" (Maloy, 2013). I find this interesting because I remember that my elementary and middle school teachers used this and it worked. I would always try to finish my classwork quickly so I can have the last 15 minutes to play games on the computer.
3) Interactive Digital Textbooks: From all this new technology changes in education I believe that best part of it is not having to carry those heavy textbooks around anymore. I like to use E-Books because I can access them on my phone not just the computer. I have so many textbooks at home that are taking so much space in my closet and I don't use them anymore because every year there is a new edition. I feel so bad throwing them away. There is no need to buy highlighters or to write on the textbooks. I can do that all of that on the E-Book.
Resource:
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.
I certainly understand your anxiety about the future of 'digital' but I would suggest that the more practice you have with it, the less time it will take and the easier it will be! ;) Also, if you allow students to do more of the creation, then you will work together as a learning team and they definitely will be of great help! :)
ReplyDeleteIn fact, one of the guarantees is that the future will bring additional change and we can either embrace it and move forward in learning how to capitalize on it or we'll feel even more frustrated! I think your concerns are substantiated and the key is to come up with a strategic plan to be ahead of the game.