Digital Blog A

Right away, the text speaks of the iGeneration and of how these children have never lived a day without technology. While I'm in my eighth year working with children and know exactly how much electronics are a part of their lives, this section in particular still opened my eyes. Children today spend most of their time outside of school on computers or mobile devices and I am constantly hearing them reference Twitter, Vine, and other outlets of online recreation (Maloy, et all, 2013, p. 4). This growing interest in technology in youngsters shows just how important it is for teachers to1 use it whenever they can; whether it be inside the classroom or out! Sites such as ClassDojo and Edmodo are great for students and parents to keep track of progress while still leaving that important line of communication open. ClassDojo in particular gives students that element of fun they're so in need of in the elementary levels and can be used for various tasks throughout each school day.

 

Following behind the area of social media-type sites in the classroom is the actual usage of tablets, mobile phones, and laptops by the students. These two areas may not always go hand in hand, but there are various times when they could. When observing a middle school classroom for my Intro to Teaching course, I was introduced to Kahoot!. This fast-paced quiz program has a gaming atmosphere to it that allows students to buddy up and have some friendly competition based on course material. The actual usage of devices, as I saw that week, is very inviting to children in today's world. Along with the learning, reviewing, and quizzing that may be done through them, I think it is also important for students to be able to mix in their personal lives (i.e. the allowance of bringing in and using their beloved devices) and interests with their learning.

 

Lastly, the section about technology-based offices really caught my eye! This school year I have started working in a school library and use many different computer programs a day. Constantly, I am sending out mass emails to teachers for a multitude of reasons. The option of grouping school staff members together speeds along the process of delivering grade-specific news and allows me to return to the busy life of the media center (for example, making an email group of only the second grade teachers allows me to quickly notify them of something without having to look up each individual email address). For my current school position, the most important office management program used in the library is of course the book checkout system, Destiny. This record-keeping program lets me know who has what book, when it should be returned, and if it has been put on hold by another student. I can't imagine running the media center without Destiny! It is the ultimate way of keeping track of everything and has probably saved us a forest of trees by not having to leave sticky notes everywhere to let each other know who and what to look for! While I know this will not be used in my future classroom, it is a great reminder of how important record-keeping is for any school staff member. I will be documenting grades, attendance, and progress on a daily basis someday and need to continue perfecting that vital trait of organization to successfully run my classroom.

 

To conclude, technology is simply everywhere a child looks and should definitely be used in their schoolwork. There are so many programs that can be used to keep students engaged while retaining interest in what they are doing and learning. Keeping track of progress is essential not only for the student, but for their teachers and families. School might not always be a child's favorite part of life, but it does take up the majority of their time. This alone is motivation enough for me to continue researching the newest classroom technologies so that my future students can expand their minds while also having an element of fun.

 

Resources

 

Effective Marking For Small Businesses (2013, September 25). Social Media Statistics 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2015, from https://youtu.be/sd9NZq6H7IM

 

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