Entry written by: Emily Lauder
Topic: Using Technology In Classrooms

With our recent review of using tools in class, we have reviewed different ways these tools could be incorporated into our everyday class schedule. Along with that, what the pros and cons would be with having electronics and technology in our classrooms. I am going to address the topic of using these tools in the classroom and in our everyday life and how they can affect students learning in a good or bad way.

First off, when we use technology in classrooms, no matter what it is being used for, it is commonly agreed upon that it makes things a lot less of a hassle and is extremely helpful in the production of class assignments. One of the tools we covered in class was Twitter (www.twitter.com). This tool is a social media tool used to post short ideas, phrases, concepts, or any type of information within the constraints of 140 characters. This tool was presented with the idea of using it for communication with students during the school year. The teacher could "tweet" an opportunity for extra credit, a project date, a field trip reminder, pretty much anything that is needed to be told to the students could be posted on Twitter and could keep the students and parents up to date on what is going on in the classroom. Another way Twitter is used in the classroom is some teachers use it for feedback and more information/thoughts on the topic they are teaching. They allow their students to use Twitter and actually require them to sign up for it, so that they can post ideas, thoughts and discussion topics that go along with the lecture for the day. The teacher then uses the information to help further some discussions  that are "tweeted" and therefore enforces the point that students learn just as well with technology as they do with out it.

Personally, I believe that the more technology we can introduce to students, is only going to help them in the long run. No one is going to suffer from knowing too much about technology. We, as teachers, need to prepare students for the upcoming jobs that may not even be available right now because technology hasn't advanced enough. If we decide that students need to learn the way we did in the 90's, we are going to be hurting them in the long run. Sure, some students may get distracted, some may not understand technology as well as us, and others will excel immensely. We cannot always lean on the more traditional ways of doing things because sooner or later, we will most likely hurt the students in the long run. The sooner our generation gets into teaching, and the more traditional generation of teachers leaves, or becomes more technologically savvy, the better off we all will be.

-Emily K. Lauder