Technology in the Classroom!??!

3/31/2015

This term is my first term as an education student.  I'm hoping to work as a middle school science teacher when I'm finished.  I have a degree in biology and am now doing a post-bacc as an education student.  I've spent the last ten years teaching kids in the outdoors.  In every education environment I've worked in there has been a strong motivation to "un-plug" students.  Kids, in general, spend way too many daily hours in front of screens.  If I'm going to struggle with anything as I convert over to classroom teaching, it's the idea that we need to come up with more ways to plug kids in!

My Dad (a middle school science teacher) goes on and on about the crazy things that kids can do with iPads, and all the ways they can use them in the classroom!  During breaks in his class and during movies, he lets students use their phones.  When he told me this I was dumbfounded.  Most teachers are motivated to not allow electronics because they are a huge nuisance!  My Dad thinks that technological skills are as fundamental today as learning to type was when he was young.  The more time they spend learning how to do it, the better off they will be because of their experience.  My opinion is that (as a generalization) most kids in the U.S. will learn the language of technology as easily as they "learn" to speak English.  I think kids are going to get it without my creative help in the classroom.  However, I am compelled to encourage technology use for one main reason.  In lower income school environments, many students do not have phones or home computers.  Often, their only exposure comes while at school.  It is likely that without some exposure in a school setting those students will potentially have less opportunities than student families that can afford technology.  So despite the fact that I think teachers should focus more on personal communication and time spent outside, I am excited about what I will learn in this class.