My Philosophy of Technology in the Classroom

Technology is a great tool; it is how I am communicating with you right now. Over the last two quarters I have taken Instructional Technology classes to learn about different ways that I as a teacher can use technology in my classroom. I have also thought about how using these technologies could affect my students.

I plan on using technology to help all students access the curriculum; to prepared them for the technology driven world they are growing up in; to make them more interested in the curriculum. All students are different, and as such all students then need different help to learn the material. For students who are just learning English, they could use an electronic dictionary to build up their vocabulary in English. Some students who are having trouble with math might benefit from a computer math game. It would provide scaffolding and it might show the math in a new light that would help the student better understand the material. Also, my students will be growing up in a time when all students must be able to use all sorts of technology. To better prepare them, I will teach them about technology. However, since technology is always changing and growing I need to always be aware of what is out there and what new technologies I can teach them about. I will do this by having them create projects using different tools. For example Woordle, or Animoto. I will also use technology to make the students more interested in the curriculum. I will make colorful and interactive presentations to keep my students attention. I will also use technology to interact with the parents and to share the students work. They might be more motivated to do well on projects that they know will be online for their parents and friends to see.

However I think there are some draw backs to technology in the classroom. Not all students have access to technology; technology takes away from personal interactions with other as well as the world around them; a lot of screen is not good for children. Not all students have the same access to technology. The computers at school might be the only computers they ever use. It is unfair to expect all students to complete their homework on computers if not all students have access to a computer at home. Also children are still growing and developing. In order for them to learn about how to make friends and about the world around them, they need to experience it. Not just read about it online or in a book. They need to feel/see/hear what is around them, and interact with their surroundings. If they are on a computer too much, then it takes away valuable time for the children to play with their surroundings. Also the American Academy of Pediatrics does not advise long hours of screen time. Many kids are watching TV, playing video games or on the Internet when they are at home. By having screen time in class, we are only adding to the amount of screen time the students are already having at home.

Overall I think that technology can be a great way to reach many students and prepare them for the world they are growing up in. However we as teachers need to be careful with how we use technology so that we are not hindering our students in any way.