1 - Blogging part 1

Computers are an important part of the educational experience in that they provide an external source to find information and they offer many different programs to help bring information together in the form of a presentation, word document, movie, etc. Some critical concerns that relate to both teachers and students about how computers are used is that they can crash and some are very old and cannot support the updated software. I agree with these issues because both have happened to me.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) includes many standards. The NETS-T are standards for assessing the what the teacher should know about technology. The NETS-T is a standard that explains that teachers must have already taught their students about the NETS-S, which is what the students know about technology and how they apply the fundamental skills. The standard that makes my heard happy is the Common Core Standards Initiative. This standard is in place so that by the end of each grade, all students know the same information. This is extremely important because if a child moves from one state to another and there is no Common Core standard, the child may end up learning the same thing in the next grade level, or they will fall so far behind. A standard that seems “outside [my] current skill set” is the design and develop digital learning and experience and learning new things. I feel that personally teaching straight from the book is much easier than finding ways to make up new ideas and strategies.

If someone is referred to as “digitally native,” they were born during the rise of digital technology and they consequently are very proficient at using computers and certain programs. I agree with this term because I am “digitally native.” My family is always commenting that I’m spending too much of my time on the computer and other electronics. I have seen many differences between my teachers and I and how we use technology. Many of my teachers are older than me and therefore they weren’t born during the “digitally native” time period. Yes, some of them know how to use a computer, cell phone, tv, etc., but do they REALLY know how to use the technology to its fullest potential, no. This has impacted my learning experience in that usually the teachers waste time figuring out how to turn the device on, trying to navigate websites, and find files on their desktop. I anticipate myself, future teachers, and students to become more technologically inclined. I feel like the population as a whole will grow since technology keeps getting better and better.