Sunday, September 25, 2011

Learning Something New Everyday!

I learned this week how important and useful technology can be in the classroom. In the past I used to think that implementing technology into the classroom would only refer to Power Point or a film clip or something. I was taken aback when other classmates shared their ideas of different things they could use in the classroom.

My idea that I shared in class was teaching juniors and seniors in high school about similes and metaphors (I want to be an English teacher). I figured I would give them some examples found in literature first to get those marbles rolling around in their brain. I would then proceed by giving them a list of common similes and metaphors. Each student would create a photo that sets a scene describing one of the similes listed. I would then give them class time to use Photoshop to edit their pictures. They must then share their picture in class with a brief description of the story behind the simile. 

I feel as if being an English teacher is a little harder to add technology in the everyday classroom, because students are to be reading books and writing papers. I loved hearing about Brit's idea of creating a crossword puzzle for literary terms or reading questions. I thought it would be also cool to use Google maps when we are learning about an author's life or what kind of setting the author created for the novel we are reading.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Through the Eyes of Technology

Technology changed my little sister's life. My little sister struggled in school when she was about five or six years old. She always seemed to not being paying attention. My mom would always say that she was in her own little world. However, the day that changed her world was the day she embraced technology. The day my little sister got glasses. She kept looking out the window the whole ride home and saying, "Mommy! I can see mommy!"

Technology will the change the world of education in the same way it changed my little sister's world. It has already changed education. Would students ever learn about the moon if we did not have technology to explore beyond our own planet? Would we have learned about the Egyptians if they had not painted hieroglyphs or recorded their history on scrolls? Technology is important to education in every aspect. Students can learn in new ways because of the technology. For example, chemistry can be a tough subject to understand. However, chemistry labs allow students to engage learning in new ways as they see chemicals change and mix together. Microscopes make what is unseen suddenly seen for students who struggle with understanding why germs are everywhere even though they are invisible. Technology provides insightful vision for students by allowing them to see beyond their own perception of the world. Students who embrace technology will be forever changed just like my sister. They too will come home claiming, "I can see!"