Blog 1

Blog 1

There are many things that influence teachers and students to use technology in the classroom. One thing that can influence teachers is that accessibility and ease that technology brings to the classroom. Nowadays, technology is very easy to access. It is a tool that can be very engaging if used in the proper way. Technology is also very easy to use for the most part. Students can easily use it to enhance their learning. Students are influenced by their teachers, peers,and the media to use technology. In today's society, technology is a part in nearly all aspects of our lives. We use technology at school for learning, at home for fun, and even use it to connect with others. All in all, there are many things that influence teachers and students alike to use technology.

There are many ISTE standards that deal with technology. The educator standards include: learner, leader, citizen, collaborator, designer, facilitator, and analyst. These standards are designed to help educators "...help students to become empowered learners." (ISTE.org). One of these standards that is meaningful to me is the citizen standard. This standard focuses on "...inspiring students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world." (ISTE.org). This is meaningful to me because I feel that i is very important to teach kids the responsibility that comes with using technology and participating online. Nowadays, it seems like kids post and say things online without thinking of the consequences. This is why I feel that as educators, it is important to educate students about properly using technology and social media. One standard that I feel is out of my current skill set is the collaborator standard. I feel like this is out of my current skill set because I have never really been put in a situation as an educator that I needed to collaborate with colleagues and students. I have collaborated with other students as a student, but not as a teacher. 

Lastly, I agree with the label "digital native" for today's youth. A digital native is someone who has grown up with technology and does not remember a time without technology. Today's youth have been living in a very technologically advanced society that hasn't always existed. Kids today don't know what it was like to not have a cellphone or a laptop that can go anywhere with them. That's why I feel like the term digital native is an appropriate label. These youth are native to this new society that has a strong emphasis on technology. It's as if they were born knowing how to work all different kinds of technology. There are many differences between the ways students and teachers use technology. Most of the time, the teachers are slower at getting the technology up and running and the students can usually do it a lot faster. This has not really impacted my learning experience because for the most part teachers do a really good job researching new technology and figuring out how to properly use it. I definitely think that there will be a divide between me and my students in technology. even though I grew up as a technology native, I feel that there will come a day when the kids do really know a lot more than me just because they are younger and will have been introduced to these new features while they were growing up. Overall, technology can be a tool that is very effective for enhancing and promoting learning in students if it is used properly.