Journal #4

Summary:

Chapter Four; Integrating Technology and Creating Change

Integrating technology into our classrooms is something that we can either fight or embrace. Once you decide how to you feel about it you need to realize, that it doesn't really matter. All joking aside its something that regardless of a teachers thoughts on the matter has to be integrated into our teaching methods and even classroom organization. Personally I look forward to implementing some of the exciting technological tools that this chapter, as well as this entire coarse has shared with me

Tech Tool:

Edutopia

After exploring this most recent tech tool I was pleasantly surprised to have found yet another useful tool to use in my future classrooms. This site organized great articles, links, photographs, and blogs by grade level and subject matter. It is neat to think that if you are a third grade math teacher you can connect and learn along with other 3^rd grade math teachers that are posting and sharing their thoughts on activities and articles that pertain to your specific age group and subject matter. The About Us portion of the site helped for a good picture of the minds behind this site. It is said that the goal of the site is to “transform the learning process by helping educators implement the strategies such as: empowering students to think critically, access and analyze information, creatively problem solve, work collaboratively, and communicate with clarity and impact”. One of the most interesting things I came across was this video on collaborative learning.

Focus Question:

How does technology promote educational change?

Photo credit:http://importanceoftechnology.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Impact-of-technology-on-Communication-2.jpg

Since change is happening all around the world, every second, of every day, the most direct impact that technology has that promote educational change is the enabling of communication. Educational social networking sites allow teachers from the entire world to communicate with one another and share thoughts and ideas that innovate other teachers’ approaches. Educational publications that are posted via the internet spread faster than they ever would have without the technology we have access to and the touch of a button. We can use our cell phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers to access up to date information on any curriculum we’d like to look at. In my opinion the impact technology has on communication is its biggest factor in influencing change not only education but in nearly everything. People are the facilitators or change and when people can share the changes they see around them and access the information others share about their changing worlds the possibilities are endless.