CP 4 & 6

Chapter 4 points out that there are two ways that teachers use technology as a necessary means of integration. One way is through the teacher's state of mind and the other is through differentiation of teaching. If I am not into what I am using in the class and it makes me uncomfortable, then the students will see this. If I have to ask the student’s for assistance or have to call IT for assistance, this will detract from the larger lesson. Many schools encourage using new technology, however the school should teach the teachers how to use this new technology or offer outside resources in order to assist the teachers and facility to use the technology being integrated.  In order for the teacher to be comfortable using the new technology, they must have a general understanding of how to use it. This will make them more at ease and want to use it more, if they feel they can master the new tool.

The chapter also points out that technology integration is not limited to just electronic based advances. The wheel is not a computer based tool but it was a technological advancement for its time. Using tools to make your job easier is what I am all about, “Work smarter not harder,” I always say. In my classroom I would hope to include a lot of art and pictures into my lesson plans. I want the words the student’s are reading to be more then just print on a page but rather vivid stories they can not wait to read. Wearing costumes for story time or interactive lesson plans can be fun ways to integrate low level technology into your class. Technological advancements have significantly affected our ability to control and adapt to their natural environment.

Chapter 6, points out that the internet should be used for a starting point and not used for the entire project or as the only resource used. This I fear is not the case as fewer students utilize the library for their books. Computer stations have become a new standard for research and I do not think that this is a bad thing. As long as we are demonstrating to our student’s the importance of peer reviewed work and how to conduct proper online searches, they will be able to find solid information for their papers.