Digital Badge #A- Chapter 1

      Digital Badge #A- Chapter 1

By: Allie Sofos

       As a future educator it is becoming more and more apparent that the use of technology in a learning environment is imperative to educators. The further I got into the first chapter of our textbook the more excited, and aware I became of all of the tools I could use at my disposal. A section that really stuck out to me was "Developing Identity and Social Media." As a social media junkie myself I really related with this section of the chapter. It got me thinking that as a teacher I would love to create my own educators Facebook page and ask my students to add me as a friend. I could implement assignments and reading by sharing links pertaining to interesting topics or ask them to write a reflective piece on my wall. I feel that this would be fun for the students and since most of their time is spent on Facebook outside of the school halls it will give them an opportunity to learn while also using social media. I think another great social media tool that can be used as an educator is Youtube. Another idea I had for students was a video diary, having the student create a mini movie or series that lets me know about their interests, goals, and desires when it comes to education. Having them upload this video to Youtube and watching it will give me a great insight to my students and what their personal aspirations are for the future. It also allows the students to utilize their creativity and offers limitless possibilities on which direction they would want to take their film. Blogs are another wonderful tool to use in a classroom. Having your students write a daily blog about their thoughts and feelings helps you get to know them on a more personal level which will enhance your knowledge on how to better educate them.

    Another section that had me reflecting was "Your Must-Have Technologies for Teaching." It had me pondering what my own list would be. I suppose if I had to choose right now (take into consideration my limited knowledge on todays technological teaching tools) I would choose a computer, an iPod, a tablet of some sort, a video camera/digital camera, an interactive white board, and a digital projector. I could use these tools in endless ways to help enhance my classrooms creativity and education. These tools will help make learning fun and give me an opportunity to come up with original and innovative lesson plans. I love the idea of an interactive field trip. Having the students learn facts about another country and taking them on a digital tour using a projector seems like a wonderful and fun learning strategy.

      My last point of discussion will be on the section "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge" or (TPACK) this is something I had never heard of before I picked up this textbook. This concept refers to how teachers bring together three different forms of knowledge to produce exciting learning experiences for their students. It is broken down into 3 parts: Content Knowledge: which includes the essential academic subject matter, Pedagogical Knowledge: which includes all information teachers know about teaching methods and Technological Knowledge: which includes knowing how to use different types of technology when it comes to educating. This section touches on how in order to be successful in todays schools you must touch on all three. I enjoyed this section because it talked about blending technology into your classroom. It is important to still use old school teaching methods when it comes to your students. If everything involved technology it can become confusing or exclude certain children who don't have access to these tools outside of a classroom. It is  crucial to blend all three of these concepts into each lesson plan in order to adapt to 21st century teaching while also implementing non-techonological learning tools into your students education. I found this section extremely helpful and eye opening.

    In conclusion as future educators it is our responsibility to be aware and adapt to all of the changes this generation is going through. Technology is used now more than ever and is growing more advanced by the day. It is our duty to stay up to date on the current tools we can use. Having this knowledge will not only make our lives easier but increase the students desire to learn and keep him/her in school and interested in education.

Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.