Digital Badge #A - Chapter 1

     After reading chapter one, I thought to myself wow ! what a great time to start my teaching career. So many new things to learn to add to what I already know. Not only does it make it fun for my future students while learning but it also makes it fun for me as the teacher. The first concept I came upon that I found interesting was the statistics given when talking about the iGeneration. "Computer use begins with the youngest learners and continues from there. Nationally over 90% of all nursery school to grade 12 use computers. " (Book page 4)  I think by the time I start teaching this percentage will increase. With that being said if computers are being used so much in school it means that I need to gain as much knowledge as I possibly can in order to be on my future students level. Knowing that there is so much out there that can enhance my teaching skills to better the understanding of our future needs to be used in a proper manner. I did not find rare at the fact that students low-income youngsters are less likely to have access to the latest high-speed, highly technologies. That is when the teacher should pay close attention of those kids so alternatives can be worked out with the parents to make these kids successful as well.

     The second concept, Technology-Based Teaching Tool. Basically talks about how technology has extended the time that teachers spend with students. Technology has made it possible for teachers to interact more with kids that need the extra help rather than going at the same pace with everyone. They do this by dividing the class to have some students working individually while others work as a group. I think this is a great tool, being able to assist the kids that need more help and at the same time spend equal time with both groups being divided. Doing this also lets the teacher see who needs more assistance and who learns better at what. As a matter a fact today when I went to do observational hours I saw the teacher do this. I did not think it would work because I thought half of the group would be distracted, but I was wrong. Every kid in the class was well focused, asked questions when they needed help, and finished their assigned work of the period on time. I could tell that the kids using the technology where the ones that Knew exactly what they were doing rather than the kids in the discussion group did not have much experience with technology. 

     The last concept, Your Must have Technologies for teaching : Computer educator Mark Prensky has a list of 132 tools that can be used for students to learn. I think that is a pretty big list of must haves but than again we all have a type of list of the things we must have to succeed in school. I can think of my 3 already but I'm pretty sure the list can keep going. thinking about this, and knowing that someone else can make such a big list makes me wonder what else can I use in the future to instruct, and activate students engagement with learning. 

       As a 21st Century teacher we need to look for new ways to use technology to assist students and help them learn. Showing new ways to help them be successful at the same time having a joyful, interesting, hands on education. I believe that I have a lot to learn still, but because I am taking this course I am confident that I will end up having some cool and interesting ideas for my future teaching career coming up ! 

Photo Credit to abdullah.khan2012 on Flickr 

References :

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2011).Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.