An introductory post on technology and learning.

Technological changes in our society have rapidly advanced our ability to create, store, retrieve, and disseminate information.  The impact of technology in education cannot be understated.  When reading the first chapter, I came to realize how multidimensional teaching with technology can be, and how I would like to use it in my classroom.

Specifically, the chapter mentions a variety of ways to use technology both inside and outside the classroom.  As a biology teacher, I feel animations and videos can be extremely helpful in facilitating the learning of complex concepts, such as the transcription and translation of DNA.  I may very well set up a blog such as this one just for my students so that they can browse helpful animations and videos. As the chapter discusses, students learn in different ways, and technology can appeal to a variety of learning styles.  Additionally, with the widespread use of social media by many students, use of twitter to post assignments or discussions can be an exciting and different way for learning to occur.  

From a practical standpoint, technology is a reality in our every day lives that cannot be avoided. Students need to, for their future careers, and for their future lives in general, learn how to use technology.  As chapter 1 states, however, some students do not have as much access to technology as others.  For this reason, it is important for teachers to help students during learn how to use technology during class time.  This may seem like it will interfere with a lesson, however it is of vital importance, and combining technology with subject learning will maximize efficiency.  

In conclusion, I feel that the use of technology as a learning tool is of paramount importance.  I want to be an "early adopter" of technology so that I can present new concepts and techniques to my students when they are first available.  I don't want them to lag behind in the world of technology, in other words.  I hope to reach as many students as possible, no matter what their preferred learning modality, with exciting lessons that give them a sense of accomplishment.  Technology is an excellent way to accomplish this goal.

Question 1.

How can we help students from low-income households/neighborhoods to access technology outside of the classroom?

Question 2.

How can we help students stay on task while using technology?  There are myriad distractions at the waiting when they go online, particularly outside of the classroom.  Is this an obstacle that anyone has faced?