Blog 1

            Computers are tools students will use long after they leave the classroom and enter into the workforce. This makes it the teacher’s responsibility to make sure their students are adequately prepared to enter the workforce with the skills required of them. However there are some concerns that arise when attempting put technology into a classroom. The first and usually the biggest concern that arises is the cost associated with it. Technology is not cheap to place into the classroom; therefore schools try to get the most use out of their purchases as they can. This however can lead to computers being left in the classroom long after they need to be replaced. By putting off getting updated equipment for classrooms it cause problems for students when they are trying to use specific applications. As computers update so do the applications associated with them and a lot of the times the computer and the applications need to be relatively close to each other in when there last update was. Sometimes computers are able to use downward compatibility meaning they will run older versions of applications but this is not always the case because some computers only allow newer versions to run. Another challenge that can arise is making sure all teachers are adequately prepared to use the technology in their classroom. More seasoned teachers sometimes have trouble operating the technology in their classroom, so schools need to make sure they are providing appropriate workshops for teachers to attend to brush up on their skills. The issues mentioned are issues I feel that have easy fixes associated with them as long as the schools budget their money and time appropriately neither one of these problems should arise.

            The ISTE standard that requires teachers to collaborate with students, peers, parents and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation is an important standard to me. The number of resources available to teachers is endless and it makes it easy for them to instantly collaborate with those around them. By having this ability to communicate, teachers are giving their students a major advantage. If a student is at home and has a question they can email their teacher and get a quick response instead of possibly doing their homework wrong and having to wait until the next class to make the corrections. It also allows teachers to instantly get in touch with parents if there is a concern that arises about their student during the day. One ISTE standard that I am concerned about is being able to perform in the classroom and demonstrating fluency in technology systems and transferring the knowledge to new technologies and situations. While I am pretty confident in my basic computer skills, my skills do not go far beyond on that. I am familiar with a lot of the technology that teachers use today but I do not have any practice using it, therefore I would not be able to use it properly in the classroom. Also I feel that I will have trouble adapting to new technology as it comes out in the future and this will make it harder for me to ensure my students are getting an appropriate education.

            I definitely feel the term digital native is an appropriate name to call the youth of today. They grew up only knowing a world with technology, therefore they can quickly adapt to learning how to use much faster than those who did not grow with technology also known as digital immigrants. Children today grow up with technology and most know how to operate a smart phone or table by age four. Older students do not remember a time of stepping into a classroom with out computers, projectors, or Smartboards.  I have noticed that digital natives have a greater dependency on technology than digital immigrants. Digital immigrants do not require any sort of technology or very limited technology to teach in their classroom.  On the other hand, digital natives do not know how to take notes without technology. This divide can sometimes make classroom management hard. My generation grew up with the slow additions of technology to the classroom. Therefore even though I am classified as a digital native, I still can operate without technology when it comes to learning. I feel when it comes to my particular teaching style, I will not see technology as the main source of getting information across but merely as a tool to reinforce what I have already taught. This may be a challenge for students because I feel as time goes on they will begin to expect classrooms to become more digital and teachers to have smaller presence in them.