Chapter 1 Becoming an e- Teacher

*All links are highlighted in yellow*

Focus Question: How do new technologies create new opportunities for teaching and learning?

• Educational technologies offer exciting, engaging, and effective alternatives to traditional instructional methods 
• Computer technologies can be used in ways that promote high levels of interaction and engagement among teachers and students 
• Web 2.0 tools are a new generation of technologies that can be used to create highly  interactive, inquiry-based learning experiences at all grade levels. 

Photo credit to TinaMariposa Flickr

Referring back to the first bullet new technologies in a classroom are always a wonderful privileged. There are many children in this world that do not get to privilege the experience of learning with technologies, as people do in the United States.  The active board, as shown in the picture above, is one of the new technologies that have been put in schools to further the interaction and education of students. The teacher can now transfer information from their computers to the active board, which makes students interactions easier than the white board. Before teachers had to write the lesson plan on paper then transfer it to the white board, and once space was gone they has to erase everything and start over. Now with the active board teachers can create a lesson plan on their computers, and transfer it directly to the active board. There is no longer a worry of how space might be limited because they can jump from page to page with this software. I think it is a good thing because if a student did not catch something the teacher has and could go back a page, or always look for the specific lesson plan on the computer and go back to it. This gives teachers and students an interaction 10 times better than it was before. Teachers can create lessons that focus on the curriculum, and also the interaction between each individual student. Some web 2.0 tools that a teacher can use in the classroom are blogs, wikis, podcast, inquiry-based educational websites, social bookmarking, and other interactive tools that are starting to become popular (Dolan, 2008 ; Solomon & Schram, 2007 ; Waldrop, 2008). As technology progresses throughout the years, teaching interaction and education with students will become outstanding.  

Tech Tools Link:  Ultra Portable Laptop Computers

I believe that having a computer throughout college is an essential. I know if I did not have a portable laptop it would be much harder for me to complete my work. Not only can I move my studying around the house, I can travel with my laptop wherever I go. It is light and easier to move around then a computer with a separate modem. I would recommend anyone who does not have any type of laptop to look into getting one. The website that I have linked above is a good place to start looking for a laptop computer. It has a handful of different laptops, prices, and useful information. Someone could buy a portable laptop from this site, but I also would recommend shopping around. Make sure that you receive the best deal possible for what you are looking for. Here is a helpful link that has tips for people looking into buying a portable laptop. It is a very useful website that breaks all the essentials down to purchasing a great laptop.

Summary & Connection:    


This chapter is just a glimpse of what is to come for the rest of the book, and I cannot wait to learn. I knew that technology was present in a classroom setting, but it was not until I read this chapter that I realized how important technology actually is. Computers and software's are starting to become the number one way of learning in a classroom. It is becoming easier to incorporate technology in a classroom because many students already use it outside of the classroom. In a study it showed that 85% of students 5-17 years old use computers at school, and 68% use them at home (US Department of Commerce, 2008). Even though technology has to be involved in classrooms, never forget that we are preparing students for their future education. Students still have to think critically, make judgments, solve complex problems, think creatively, communicate, collaborate, and take charge of one’s life.

Something that I found interesting in the reading was that teachers who are tech savvy use technology in the classroom more than teachers who are not. Even though it might be required by the school that they use certain programs they do not use them because they feel that they do not get sufficient technical assistance. I can relate to that because in high school there were always certain teachers that used the active boards and technology in class more than other teachers. I feel that it is not fair to students that the teachers decide not to use certain things. It takes away from the learning experience that the student could have had in a certain class. All teachers should have better education on the technology they could use for their students. I hope to be a teacher that can easily integrate technology in the classroom for my students and be a e- Teacher. I want to make sure that when students finish my class they leave with something valuable, and actually learn something.


I have included a cool little video titled "Teaching in the 21st Century" to get your mind going! Hope you enjoy it.

Teaching in the 21st Century! 

References:

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2010).Transforming learning with new technologies. Allyn & Bacon.