Technology in the Classroom

The use of technology in the classroom is very important in the 21st Century. Teachers must use it because kids from all walks of life are digital natives. Whether kids have access to technology, such as computers, cell phones, internet, mp3 players and others outside the classroom, it doesn't matter inside. These tools of education can be very helpful in educating young people and engage them every day in class.
Not using technology inside the classroom would be a disservice to the students because it would show the teacher is unwilling to relate to students and not realize a great opportunity to reach every single one of them. Technology is no longer viewed as the black sheep in the room but a great part of an educator's arsenal. Teachers can help students find places to access computers or rent equipment in the area if they have little to no access to it.
One thing I dislike is the idea of using technology as a means of social justice. Teachers must have the perspective of I will do my best to educate each and every student in my classroom in any way I can. They must not look at it as an opportunity to rectify social or past ills.
In my classroom I will allow students who have little to no access to the technology we use in the classroom at home extra time to work on assignments. Also, I will find libraries and businesses for students to access after school. I will work with all of my students to make sure they can use everything they will need to know how to use in the real world because it is part of my job to prepare them.

Blue Cohort Presentations Rule!

I enjoyed the presentations in class today. They were entertaining and informational. Everyone used a bunch of pictures which were relevant to their topic and didn't distract from the presentations, but added to them. It was obvious that everybody put time and effort into them and did a good job in front of the class. Many of the presentations employed humor very well. I particularly liked the Office Space spoof in David's presentation and Zach talking about lasers.

A few people read from notes or papers a decent amount during their presentations, which made them less engaging as those who didn't. It is hard to be in front of people sometimes and having notes can be very helpful. This is something I am working on, like others in our class. It is our goal to be comfortable in front of people and kids.

I would like to improve my presentation by talking about the pictures in my power point and incorporating smart art somewhere. Also, I would like to do a longer presentation because I felt I had to be very simplistic in how I presented my topic because of the time constraints.

I like to use power point for presentations because it is engaging for the audience and easy to take notes off of it. I plan on using it as a teacher but not all of the time.