Technology Across The Curriculum
Technology is important in our world, now more than ever. For teachers, technology can play a crucial role in the classroom. If the teacher is knowledgeable about technology, she or he can turn a normal lesson into a hands-on discovery for students. The fact is, that now in the twenty-first century, it is difficult to find a profession that does not in some way rely on technology. I know that as an educator I am teaching the future workforce. Because of that, I believe that technology should be incorporated into schools, regardless of the subject or grade, so students can get a jump start on their understanding of technology for their futures. I believe that even though I am going to be teaching History and not Technology, it is still important to implement as much technology as possible in my future classroom. I feel that the most important aspects of technology use in and out of my future classroom will include helping my students to learn how to use the internet safely, continuing my own education in technology, finding ways to utilize technology in everyday school work, and becoming an activist for technology use outside of my classroom.
The Internet offers students endless opportunities to find new and amazing information on any topic. Unfortunately, it can also expose students to topics that they do not understand and are not appropriate for their age group. I believe that it is important for my students to learn how to use the Internet safely so that they do not become exposed to dangerous or inappropriate items. To make sure my students know about safe Internet use I have created a Internet Safety project. Students in my class will be required to complete the course before they can use computers during my class period. Once a student has completed the project, they will receive an Internet Safety Pledge. The pledge explains how the student will use the Internet safely and appropriately. The students then needs to sign it and bring it home to have parents sign it. I feel that this program will work well, because students have signed a contract and should feel a strong sense of accountability. I feel that once students have completed the program, they will understand the dangers that are on the Internet and know how to avoid them.
Technology is an ever-changing entity. I believe that I, as a future teacher, must keep current with my understanding of Technology. I know that, as a future teacher and current student, I have a great start with the technology classes that are offered to me in college; however, I think it is very important as a future educator that I keep up-to-date with the information by continuing my technology education. I plan on attending as many professional development courses geared towards technology as possible and finding as much available technology to use in my classroom. I feel it is important to continue my education in technology because even though schools have technology in their classrooms and labs it does not necessarily mean that teachers know how to use it or incorporate it into their classes. I want to make sure that I know how to use as much technology as possible so I can help my students to learn as much as possible.
Even though I may want to use technology in my class, I need to find new and creative ways to apply it in my classroom. I believe that as a future educator, my responsibility is to make sure my students use technology throughout the year on different projects and research. By implementing internet research programs, educational WebQuests, and History and Government software, I feel I will be making great strides in using technology in my future classroom. I see WebQuests as being a great tool to help my students master a certain concept or skill. A WebQuest is an online activity that helps students navigate through specific Internet sites to help them learn a concept. I can see myself using a WebQuest to teach different aspects of Government or different periods in history. I also feel that allowing my students to use the internet to do research papers is a great way of instituting technology into my classroom. Whenever possible I also hope to find and use History or Government educational programs. While I may not be teaching a computer class, I hope that my students will learn a lot about how to use technology during the year in my classroom.
While I find it extremely important to use technology in my future classroom, I also feel that my students should have access to technology outside of my class. I am aware that not all of my students will have technology access in their homes and school may be the only place that they can use technology. For that reason I feel that there needs to be a place outside of both their home and school that they can access technology. After school programs like the Boys and Girls Club are great places for students of any age to use different types of technology in a safe environment. I want to become an activist for getting students involved with this type of program. By promoting the programs in my classroom, and making parents aware of what the clubs can offer their children in terms of technology, I am hopeful that many of my students will begin to participate in these kinds of clubs and use technology more often.
Technology is becoming one of the most important aspects of American culture, and there is no doubt that it will only continue to get better and we will use it more. Since this is the case, it is more important than ever that the educators of
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