I believe the purpose of education is to enable individuals to reach their full potential as human beings and as members of society. And educators play a major role in this process. Their role is to ensure and assist all individuals by giving them the foundations to function socially, emotionally, and of course academically.
Now a days technology is a very big part of the academic content. From calculators to laptops, from Smartboards to LCD projects, from switches to PECS, all our students need and deserve what it takes for them to understand the curriculum. These technologies allow them to make that happen. If one or all of my students need technology to help them understand a concept better; I use it. For example, I had a student use PECS to communicate when he couldn’t speak for himself. I also use technology to let the students show what they have learned outside the classroom to demonstrate what they just learned. Just like a my 7th grade students used iMovies to present a chapter of book to the class. The whole class enjoyed seeing their iMovie while learning about the chapter.
I agree that all of the current technology opportunities for students lead to a more engaged student. Instead of simply reamining seated during a lesson, technology brings in student creativity, critical thinking skills, and overall self-motivation. Technology also puts students in charge of their learning and allows them to become stake holders in their own educations! In order to be contributing members of society in today's day and age, students must be technologically literate as they are pushed to reach their full potential and apply their gained skills in the future.
ReplyDeleteI like how your discussion about technology in the classroom incorporates how technology is a tool that can be used to help students with disabilities access the general education curricula. Often times, technology is simply viewed as a means to engage students but the fact there are several technologies in the classroom that are necessary for some students to be able to participate and effectively access the content of a general education classroom is often overlooked. Great insight!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kelly re: the full range of tools available to teachers, which extends from traditional tools, without plugs, to new technologies. The right tool for the job, which may be low-tech or high-tech.
ReplyDeleteRe: iMovie -- one of the most exciting areas of new technologies to me are the tools of self-expression, including things like iMovie and GarageBand.
jd