Blog #2

      This class has really helped me to learn all the different ways in which technology can be used in a positive way in education. I think that being a student in the transitional period between completely print and completely digital can be a positive and a negative thing. Obviously at my age I would have more technological experience than someone older than me, like my mom, but I also am so stuck in the way that I remember being taught that it is sometimes hard to imagine how to break free from doing things in that way. Just from being introduced to certain tools and ideas presented in class and through our online sessions I believe there are several ways that I can improvise my thinking and use technology more in order to become a better and evolving teacher.

      In my last blog post, I talked about how the line between what we should keep traditional in classrooms and what should be changed confused me. Now that I have been able to look at more of the chapter and been introduced to new ideas and uses for technology and I have realized that it is about integrating these things into the classroom. The handwriting skills that we will need to teach will still be relevant, but typing and using the same grammar, punctuation, and capitalization skills in both will be important. It isn't about converting from one thing to another, but bringing the two together to find the happy medium. It is kind of scary to think that this is just the beginning and there will continue to be changes in the future, but that is what also makes education kind of fun. It will never be the same, and there will always be new challenges. 

      Just from my own understanding of technology and its uses, I have already started to develop ideas in which I could use tools in my classroom. Since I am getting a special education K-12 degree and an elementary education degree, I am unsure of what material I will be teaching and to what age and ability groups. I think the organizational tools will really help me as an educator, and the idea of a class website is a great way to keep parents involved. These are just two ideas I have already been brainstorming about but the ideas are endless when it comes to using new tools daily. Even the possibility of homework being online excites me in knowing we can still have a community feel at home for every student. I can't wait to see what is next in technology and use what we have learned to create more educational technology in my classrooms to come.