Prior to taking this class, I had not really thought about how exactly I was going to use technology in my future classroom. I just figured using computer games in the classroom and various videos would be sufficient use of technology. Now that I have taken this class I have a way better perspective of how technology can effectively be used in the classroom. For example, I found various programs that we explored in class to be very interesting and useful. I would like to use Kidspiration because it seems like a beneficial tool to use in various subject areas.  Also, I enjoyed doing the digital storytelling projects in class and would definitely want to do something similar in my class but maybe use a program that’s aimed more towards children such as Kid Pix. I think this would be a fun activity for children and lets them be creative.

As a future bilingual teacher, I think technology can serve as a major resource for students trying to learn and improve their English.  For example, I think the students would greatly benefit from the use of iPads. I had not thought about the possibility of using iPads in the classroom, seeing as it seemed like an impossible feat to accomplish because of the high cost. I surely thought most schools wouldn’t have the resources available to do so, yet I learned about how if we really want something in our classroom, we need to do our best to try to make it happen such as by contacting companies who are willing to donate their products to the school. I definitely feel more optimistic about this. While it’s no guarantee that all of us will have the privilege of having these tools in our classrooms, it is possible and just a matter of being aware of the resources around us. While we used them in class, I found so many good apps that I could imagine having my students use as a way to supplement their learning and keep them engaged.

While it can be seen as an arduous task to find the right tools and effective ways of using technology, I think it is worth taking the extra effort to find creative ways to integrate technology in the classroom.

Reading this article definitely gave me a greater insight into how much technology integration can be improved through research and development in education. It was interesting seeing the major goals of this National Education Technology Plan 2010  (NETP) and how ambitious it seems. I think reading the past articles about the digital divide and the participation gap, made me see this article by a different perspective. Learning about all the challenges facing the use of technology integration in education made me question this article a lot more about how exactly they were going to go about making their plan successful. While I had my doubts at the beginning, near the end they did a great job of summarizing everything and making it clear how they would improve education by integrating technology.

The NETP does acknowledge the many challenges and provide a solid solution. I was skeptical at first because they made it seem so simple to change things and make a profound impact on the education system. However, they made it clear that none of it is possible unless “all 50 states, the thousands of districts and schools across the country, the federal government, and other education stakeholders in the public and private sector” unite to implement the proposed solutions. I found this statement to further validate their plan and not just simply make it an unrealistic, naive goal.

I also liked how they mentioned time as an issue and how critical it is to act now. That was one of my concerns with this plan because technology is constantly changing and that creates a huge problem financially. It’s important for schools to have up-to-date technology. While I’m not necessarily saying that each school needs to have the latest devices and try to upgrade every year, I do believe that they need to be given the appropriate technology. It’s one thing to say that the schools have technology in their schools but it makes no difference if the technology they are working with is outdated. It’s going to be very difficult to have the financial resources to have all schools with adequate technological resources, therefore making the participation gap still present.

Overall, I think this is a great plan and if we don’t start making changes, when will we? We cannot let the challenges of providing appropriate technology to schools over-weigh the benefits. This leads me to ask: Out of all the goals and recommendations provided by this plan, which do you think is the most challenging to accomplish? I think it’s important for us to be aware of these challenges and constantly work to better implement technology in our classrooms.

I found this article to be rather interesting and informative. The author went straight to the point about the types of digital differences impacting learning and provided very good examples that highlighted the benefits of technology integration.

One section that got me thinking was where he talked about the Generation Gap.  It is definitely very evident today how much more students know about technology compared to the teachers. Even in some of my classes today, the professors have a hard time with technology. This happened recently in one of my classes where the professor was seriously baffled as to how to maximize a window and had to have a student assist him and show him exactly how to enlarge the screen. He is definitely a digital immigrant.

It’s also interesting to think about the generation gap and how kids are being exposed to technology at a younger age. Children are now being faced with different learning requirements. Not too long ago, my little cousin was telling me about how she had a powerpoint due for one of her classes. She is only in third grade and this very much surprised me because when I was in elementary we definitely did not learn how to use powerpoint until I was in middle school. I also don’t recall having any major project that required a computer until at least 5^th grade. We made our presentations out of magazine clip outs displayed on poster boards and it seems as if now that will become a thing of the past.

I also found the Project Fresa to be a wonderful learning experiment for the students and a commendable thing done by the teachers. This project shows just how important technology is and how it connects the world together. The students were able to have a real world learning experience, rather than just learning testing material from books.

The article also brings up the point that students will have “constant access to information, resources, and data,” while this is a major benefit, I think it can also cause a huge problem. With all that information at the tips of their fingers, students can become too reliant on technology and seize to think for themselves. Maybe for younger students not so much, but for high school students having all the information they need can lead to laziness in schoolwork and easily looking up answers online. I feel like nowadays, teens have become too attached to their computers and their social networking sites. They overlook all the resources and information that the web has to offer and don’t tend to use their computer to further stimulate their learning. I think by exposing students to the benefits of the Internet at an early age, they will more likely know how to better spend their time on it.

Upon reading this paper, I really did not know much about the term Participatory Culture. While I am aware of the impact the media has in our everyday lives, I had not really thought about the way schools have reacted to the emerging technology. I remember being in elementary school and not really being exposed to computers daily and going to the computer lab once a month. Nowadays, it is rare for a child to not be daily exposed to technology in the form of iPods, television, handheld game systems, and computers. I never thought about the way schools are managing the influx of technology the students are being presented with outside the classroom.

The paper made a good point about how “afterschool programs and informal learning communities” are the best options for helping students learn more about technology. I believe this is a very well manageable plan and more schools would be able to establish.  Teachers are already under a lot of stress to meet the standards set for the statewide standardized tests and integrating technology into their lessons can become too much of a burden and can be time consuming. They will most likely not set aside time in their curriculum to use and teach technology to students because it is not necessarily a required skill to pass the standardized tests. That is why I think it is a great idea for schools to set up an after school program to teach students how to use a computer and use technology in a way that positively encourages their learning and expands their critical thinking skills.

Another good point made in the paper was the mentioning of how the new participatory culture “offers many opportunities for youth to engage in civic debates” and in community life. This is made evident with the fact that many young people have various social networking sites and are more inclined to make their opinion known because of them. One major opportunity the youth are given is the ability to engage in political debates. Politics has been made more accessible to a wider range of people, specifically young adults. Not only can people debate about issues in their community but also speak out against national issues. Young people can go on sites such as YouTube and watch live presidential debates and ask questions to the candidates through their use of their Twitter. I found it to be rather interesting to reflect on how technology serves to help people be better educated and aware of current issues.

For that reason, I believe it is critical for students to be exposed to technology with proper guidance and for schools to use technology to the best of their ability and make the most out of it.