#1 Blog

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Computers are the new norm for the educational system, giving the teachers and staff easy access to  the standards they must meet for that particular grade in the local, state, and national educational systems. One of the main concerns for teachers and technology is that the children in neighborhoods in poverty are not as experienced in technology, so teachers need to have backup plans, in order to teach students in other ways besides using technology. Another main concern for teachers is that technology is taking over teachers, in that students are having a hard time not having the one-on-one personal interactions with teachers anymore. I do agree with the issues raised in the first two chapters because it is a hard transition for both teachers and students to become more technologically advanced. With the educational systems changing, we, as future educators, need to be able to constantly be up-to-date with the new technology and be able to teach it to our students in a timely manner.

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The ISTE standard that gladdens my heart is "Design and Development Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments." This standard really stood out to me because it gives each individual student a way to set their own educational goals and be able to see their progress throughout the school year. The standard that seems to be outside my current skill set is "Model Digital Age Work and Learning." Because of my current skill level, I do not believe I have learned enough about the different techniques to communicate with the parents, besides the typical email. I observed a teacher last year that used a system that sent certain results directly to the parents, which I would love to learn for easy access to the parents.

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The label "digital native", a person born with technology easily accessible, can be processed as being positive or negative towards today's youth. I do agree with the label because, like the podcast said, the K-12 students rely heavily on technology in the educational system and they honestly do not know other ways of learning in today's technologically advanced society. I have seen differences in the educational systems with some of my more "digital immigrant" teachers, such as using chalk boards and white boards instead of SmartBoards or insisting that students still handwrite notes instead of typing them. Even though SmartBoards are the new technology, I still enjoyed when my teachers used white boards because there were never any technical problems. Also, projectors were used in elementary school, which was great because teachers were able to write straight on the paper and we would be able to see every step. A difference I anticipate between myself and my future students is trying to make sure I am informed in the best technology that will help my students stay focused and wanting to learn.