Social media and digital technology are developing quickly and have become an important aspect in many people's lives. Whether it's the boss texting employees about an upcoming meeting or friends sharing thoughts on a recent movie, these technologies have had a major impact on society today and I don't doubt they will continue to do so in the future. I would like to think that this type of technology will play more of role in my future classroom than it does at the present time. Part of my current uneasiness has to do with the fact I teach grade 3 and I am unsure of how to integrate such devices and sites into working with 8 and 9 year olds. Another reason is my own lack of knowledge regarding these technologies. It seems by the time I have figured out how to use a certain program or site, things have moved on to bigger and better things.
But, students are saying, "Engage Me!" Can I really ignore their pleas when they ask, "How Will You Teach Me?" I may not be able to do all the things at once, but I can begin to incorporate more and more technologies into my everyday lessons. While I still think that there are some areas where more leg work has to be done, I do see a place for more use of technologies such as blogs, Skype, video lessons, and online communications. Students have so much knowledge in these areas already, I'm sure they could help me bring some of them into our classroom community. Do I think everything has to be done electronically? No, but I think neglecting to use such popular and widespread tools would be an injustice to my students.
PS: Did you check out the two links in the paragraph above? If you missed them, check them out!
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