Entry written by: Madison
Title: Technology is great, but where do we limit it?

     Technology is proving to be a need in classrooms today, and will become a bigger factor for educators to focus on in the future. The generation of students in classrooms today have always grown up with technology, and in the future students will need proficiency in these areas in order to keep up with the jobs they will be in. It is undeniable, our world is becoming reliant on technology. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, these digital tools make it easier to find information, learn, and communicate with others. We have seen in class the different ways we can use websites and programs, and how we can manipulate them for a new kind of learning. My question however, is when do we limit technology and go back to the basics? At what point is looking up the answer to a question in a book necessary, or creating a poster board with factual information relevant?
 
    I guess my question mostly deals with what will be important for us as teachers to realize as necessary in this new kind of education, and even new kind of world. It seems to me that even though there is going to be so many advances in technology that basic writing skills and math skills will still be a need. Kindergartners will still need to learn letters and their sounds, first graders will still need to learn basic math, and all the other basics in curriculum will still be necessary. Where I am lost is where we draw the line in the kind of education we grew up in, and this new kind of education that is technology based. Will we need to teach writing skills on a computer? Or is it still important for us to make sure hand written work is proficient? My concern is not knowing how to best prepare students for the world we are living in without forgetting the basic skills that are still important.
   
      In this generation of students, I want to be the kind of educator that helps them learn in whatever means possible, and learn what is necessary for them in the future. I understand the importance in using technological tools to accomplish what needs to be done in the classroom, and using them to motivate, engage, and impact students in learning. With this new wave of education I just feel uncertain knowing what I as a teacher need to incorporate in order to become the kind of teacher I want to be want to be. The combination of how and what I learned and what will be necessary to teach for the students for success in the future is an uncertain mixture to me, but I hope that my understanding of this topic deepens and become more clear the more we get into the class.