Digital Blog Post #B- Chapter 2

The first topic that really resonated with me was that a career in teaching really matters and the expectations of educators, especially now with all the newly emerging technology. As an educator, you must keep in mind that each student is an individual. You are not teaching to a class, you are teaching to your students, each of which has unique needs and interests. Teachers are expected to balance students' outside of school influences (social class, family income, race, gender, language, and individual exceptionalities) with inside the classroom dynamics (academic content, teaching methods, assessment practices, interpersonal dynamics, classroom management activities, and daily routines). This is so important. We, as educators, cannot forget that our students are human and have so much going on, especially in their school-aged years. In my opinion, a great educator is one who truly makes an effort to understand and get to know their students, and incorporate life lessons that students can relate to into their teachings. An issue that we run into with educators though, is that they tend to teach as they were taught. Beginning educators usually utilize whole-group instruction with desks arranged in rows, while students listen, take notes, complete worksheets, and receive grades reflecting test scores- all time-established educational routines. This is how I was taught all throughout middle and high school. I cannot think of any class I had that didn't follow this exact routine. . The problem with this is these practices often fail to engage at least half of students. Technology is helping to eliminate this problem by giving teachers access to so many different learning tools. Technology has the ability to offer diverse learning experience, motivate students, create group and cooperative learning situations, allow access to academic information from multiple sources, and allowing students to visit places and observe processes that cannot be seen without electronic systems. Some teachers are hesitant to use modern technology but students in this day and age need it. As educators, we must also be lifelong learners. In order to efficiently teach our students, we need to utilize the methods that make sense to them.

The second topic that I thought was important to discuss was technology choices and student engagement. As stated in the previous paragraph, there are a lot of teachers who simply lecture, have students take notes, complete worksheets, and test. While most of us can appreciate routine, it was found at with this method of teaching, most students are disengaged. Two-thirds of high school students report feeling bored in classes every day, while more than half said they never discuss academic material from their classes or reading outside of class. In studying student engagement with various pedagogical methods, it was found that lectures were the least engaging to students, while discussion and debate was the most interesting. It is so important to have all of your students engaged, because if they’re not engaged then they’re not really learning. We can use technology to introduce variety and excitement into our lessons. Technology can assist in fostering critical and creative thinking as well as inquiry and problem-based learning through writing and design programs, online information research and retrieval, and web or computer based learning games. There is no limit, except perhaps your imagination, to the opportunities that technology has presented us with.

The third topic that I enjoyed was using technology to enhance teaching, but not just in the classroom. We are all aware of the long hours teachers put in in and outside of school. Educators can use advanced technologies to support both instructional practice and administrative/professional activities. For example, email can be used to give students feedback while also communicating with families about school. A teacher created blog or website could also be a valuable commodity for students and parents. I know that I would have appreciated an online database when I was in high school that presented me with due dates, notes I may have missed, and perhaps even grading rubrics. Teachers can use technology for lesson planning, curriculum design, professional communication, and student information management. They can also utilize online testing for immediate grading. It is important for teachers to learn and possess 21^st century skills themselves before they can really prepare students for college and careers. Technology can truly be an educator’s best friend, even making their jobs easier. 

Resources: Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013).