Out Side the Classroom

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

My Beliefs about Technology and Learning

Technology in the classroom can be a great thing but when will enough be enough? Every year money is being spent on upgrading computers in the schools; while other great programs are being cut. At my old school every student has his or her personal laptop, but not every choir member has his or her own robe. My choir has been placing at regionals, and some of our students have gone on to states. Parents spent their own money on fixing robes, paying for hotels, and chipping in for gas money so that our students could arrive to the venue.

I do understand the importance of technology in the classroom, but other programs shouldn't be pushed to the corner for tomorrow's problem. Thomas Jefferson once said "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today". Today's problems will not solve themselves, so as teachers and citizens we need to figure out a way to keep using technology, but not at the cost of other programs.

My senior year in every class I used the laptop, that was provided to me. It was so nice to be able to take my laptop home and do all my homework on it. I was able to complete my senior project and other tasks that needed to be done, with out the hassle of going to the computer room,  carrying a flash drive around, and uploading my stuff to the computer. I do see the great benefits of having technology in the classroom, and how it helps teachers, students, and other faculty work more efficient.

Teachers are using technology in the classrooms every day, especially in special ed. Students with Autism or ADHD have been able to do tasks on the computer better than they can on a sheet of paper. Teachers use white boards to show videos about science projects, and the kids are able to answer the questions from the science video with their Ipads. Teachers are able to see within seconds who understands and who doesn't.

No matter what the issue is there will always be pros and cons. In this case I believe that the cons can be fixed and the pros are something we need to strive from.



7 comments:

  1. i really like how you added about technology in the special education classes, i will put that to use, when i become a special education teacher.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My school also didn't have choir robes, we had to borrow some from a church. We also had our own computers, and yes it did make it easier, but I completely agree with how there needs to be some balance between how the money is being spent.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think you are 100% right. At my school, we spent allkinds of money for a projector screen in our cafeteria so we could watch television while we eat lunch. We literally used it for on week, then it was never put on again. There were so many other issues that needed money but instead we spent it on a pointless technological object. So I agree that there has to be a healthy balance, and I also agree that technology is a great tool, especially for disabled children and it is needed in the classroom.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed the video. You were the only blog I've come across that has used one for this post. Good wrok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I completly agree. I think schools should upgrade their technology but not at the expense of cutting other programs. Schools should keep their budgets distributed evenly among the programs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really like your view point on this subject! Studies are shown that music and other arts are very helpful to a student’s success inside and outside of the classroom. And these programs are always the first to be cut, when it comes to the school budget. Though there are many positives to bringing technology into the classroom, there does need to be a limit.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I agree with not pushing other school programs into the corner for technological advances. I was very active in the ceramics program in my school and seeing classes like that get cut or limited to a certain budget makes it more difficult for students to get through their day. Arts is a way to be able to release stress and express yourself and no child should be prohibbited this right. I do like the idea of being able to instantly know if a student understands the content, but again, technology should not be relied on to know your students.

    ReplyDelete