I love educational technology...NOT!

The current course that I am taking for my Master's degree has forced me to dive deeper into technology than I have ever, ever wanted to!  Within this course, I have developed online portfolios, created web pages, created and posted online lesson plans (Webquests), and participated in online discussion groups.  Who knew that teaching students incorporated so much technology?  Surely not me, however, I am thankful for being forced to learn these things because incorporating technology is not only important for today's students to learn to do, but it is also a national requirement.  Thus, it will be my job to try to make my students love technology, while I clearly do not.  This is a problem, so I must change my ways of thinking about technology.

Through evaluating, examining, and creating technological resources, I have learned that the Internet is not as overwhelming as it seems.  While it may be tough to learn to manipulate technological resources the first few times that you try them, once you figure them out, you know from then on how to do those things.  Thanks to educational technology, I can now upload, download, research, and publish materials in a way that would not be possible without the knowledge that I have gained from experimenting with the Internet.   

For me, the best way to learn to complete technological tasks is by experimenting.  While experimenting, I have found it best to welcome any guidance and advice that is available (for me, this involves collaboration with teachers and classmates).  Such support is irreplaceable, and it can save a great deal of time that would otherwise be spent experimenting.  Furthermore, I have found it best to always ask questions when I am unsure because it never hurts to ask.  If I can't get my questions answered, then I MUST experiment.  While experimenting, however, I am sure to never forget that there is almost always an "undo" or a "back" button that allows me to remove or correct mistakes.  

Using blogging as a tool

     The use of blogs will be an excellent contributor to success in my classroom.  As a teacher, I will use blogs to keep parents and students up to date with important events or activities that take place.  Likewise, students could use blogs to further enhance their learning. 

     Communication is a big part of the teaching profession.  The Internet makes communication much easier.  As a teacher, I will post photographs and examples of students' experiences and masterpieces that are created in the classroom.  I will also post pictures from field trips, as well as information about upcoming events and extra-curricular activities.  This will allow parents and students to easily access important information regarding my class.  Of course, all of this will be in addition to the stereotypical newsletters that are commonly used for communication (which are usually lost on the way home from school) because not all can access the Internet.  The site will also provide a page with information about myself, such as credentials and my email address.

     As it is with teaching, communication is a big part of learning as well.  While students learn by connecting and constructing between ideas, facts, procedures, and so on, students also learn--particularly mathematics--by reflecting and communicating.  One way that students will be given the opportunity to reflect and communicate is through the use of blogs.  Students could have a discussion board, or even their own webpage, where they would be instructed to reflect and communicate (by blogging) about things like their initial response to a topic, what works best for a certain problem, or even questions and answers about particular student concerns.  These blogs would be monitored for appropriateness, and any misuse would be grounds for poor grades and/or a harder assignment.  I think that this academic usage of blogging is bound to increase understanding for today's youth especially, because blogs are similar to the new trend of text-messaging.  Today's adolescents are really into text-messaging, and yes, even the fifth-graders are text-message junkies these days!

     In addition to enhancing understanding through student-to-student communication, a blog site will also act as a study tool for students by allowing students to access links to online resources such as games, practice tests, study guides, and any other information related to current coursework. Furthermore, students will practice their writing and typing skills by blogging with their peers.