Tech+Integration



Technology is changing faster than anything we, as teachers and learners, have had access to in our lifetime. With that ideal in mind, the video that I found to be the most interesting to me was Learning World Affairs Through Digital Media. There were many reasons for my interest in this video, not least of which was the age group of the kids. Since this video focused on high schoolers, the target group was one that I am most interested in. The idea that through second life and other social forums, kids can become engaged in the world outside of their own life is something that I have never contemplated before. I enjoyed the arguments that were made in this video and have learned that with proper supervision and instruction, kids can become engaged in a more complete way with people they might otherwise have overlooked.

It seems to me, after viewing these videos and the PowerPoint’s for this unit, that technology integration is an important tool for teachers to utilize. The goal for teaching should always be to reach as many kids as possible and give them tools so that they can become avid learners throughout their life. With this goal in mind, technology seems to be a new way to get kids who have been passive learners to be more engaged. In addition, by opening up a whole new way in which to reach people across the globe, kids are more invested in the well being of the human population as a whole, which is always a good thing.

Although I am wary still of using social networking cites as a means to teach global awareness and global interaction, I believe that finding a way to actively engage kids in a more worldwide community is something worth striving for. One of the ideas that I was impressed with was that of a class taught by two teachers; one in Brooklyn and one in Scotland. If there was a way to make this happen, that would be a project that I imagine would be rewarding for me as well as the students.

09/14/2010

// Technology integration is a field of education that all teachers must consider and pay close attention to. The way of the world today is moving towards a more technological based society and teachers must take this trend into account and make the necessary changes. The activities that I uncovered during this assignment were varied and interesting, yet the problem of time is again a major factor that teachers need to plan for, I would love to incorporate the world wide assignments that I found on this website, yet cost and time constraints might elliminate these as possible tools for teaching. //