It's so discouraging to me when teachers all over turn up their noses to the mere thought of using technology in the classroom. I, on the other hand, think it's a great and useful tool that all teachers should familiarize themselves with. I think that many ought to understand that today's youth is VERY different than the youth 10 (and even 20) years ago, and if the teachers can't keep up with their students' technologies, then they'll quickly lose interest in the classroom.
One of the biggest and fastest growing technologies is the technology of the social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pintrest... the list goes on and on and continues to grow in volume and popularity. So, instead of turning up our noses, we should embrace these extremely useful technologies and integrate them into in our current and future classrooms.
In the perspective of a future English teahcer, I believe that I could use social media two different ways: As a learning tool and as a networking tool.
AS A LEARNING TOOL:
Example: This week we'll be finishing Shakespeare's A Midsummers Night's Dream. In order to ensure that my classroom is understanding the text, which might I add can be very challenging for a student to understand, the class is to make a Facebook profile for each character of the play. For each assigned chapter, the student is to update their character's Facebook profile--adding "favorite" quotes, updating bios, and adding statuses. Not only will each student have a better understanding for the text, but they'll develop a much more in depth analysis of each character.
AS A NETWORKING TOOL:
One reason why some students don't do their homework is because they 1) didn't write it down or 2) simply forgot what the assignment was. Instead of emailing me and hoping that I will reply back, I think setting up a Twitter profile with updated homework assignments would be great! Twitter can be accessed online and through Smartphones, and tweets can also be sent to your phone if no internet access is available. Students can simply go to my Twitter page. They could also ask me quick questions about certain assignments!
Another technology I find to be extremely useful is film. Films and books go hand in hand. Yes, some film adaptations to certain books are excruciatingly bad, but there are many awesome movies that can help students better understand books they might not have otherwise wanted to read. Again, I'll use Shakespeare as an example. It's easy to say that the hardest part of reading Shakespeare is getting through the language. It makes me so sad to see that students hate Shakespeare because they believe that he is a bad playwright, but simply because they can't understand a word he's saying! As a way to eviate the pain it is to get through an unfamiliar text in an almost foreign language, showing film adaptations of Shakespeare plays will definitely help give students a better understanding of the text.
So, in regards to using technology in the classroom, if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Technology Autobiography
It's very easy to say that technology is one of the key factors to everyone's lives, whether we like to admit it or not. Personally, the three most important communication technologies would have to be email text messaging, and phone calls.
My preferred communication technology of choice is email. I find that through email you can reach a mass amount of people in an orderly and somewhat timely matter. Email is especially effective for me as a student; most of my professors will only respond to emails, especially if I'm enrolled in an online course. Emails are a lot more formal than text messaging, which I love, but, unlike text messages, can have a much longer response time.
In today's day and age, especially amongst the youth, text messaging is a blessing and a curse. For starters, it is possibly the fastest way to connect with someone at any given time or place with out having to make a phone call and (possibly) disturb the person one is trying to contact. The downside is that text messaging can be distracting and a nuisance to people around the person who is text messaging--or texting as we like to call it now. In my opinion, texting doesn't give me the same kind of satisfaction as actually talking with a person on the phone.
With the increased usage of emails and texting, it seems like we rarely use our phones for the one purpose it was originally intended for: making phone calls. I personally love talking on the telephone! Nothing is nicer than being able to call up my friends and loved ones to see how they're doing. I can't physically see their faces, but hearing their voices is the next best thing. Unfortunately, the use of phones to make actual phone calls is slowly but surely becoming less and less popular. We would rather send a text or an email than pick up the phone and talk to someone--or even talk to a person face to face.
As far as learning new information, I believe emails are my best tool. Again, as a student who frequently checks her email, I am subscribed to a multitude of online journals and news/pop culture websites. I get new information sent directly to me--without having to wait 2-3 business days for it to arrive in my mailbox. Email is an excellent tool for educational and recreational purposes.
In comparison to the students in the video, technologies have become some sort of "third hand"; I am always connected and, in a sense, I feel sort of naked with out it. It's fast, easy, and incredibly convenient. It's hard for me to think of a time when technology did not have a helping hand in my life. In contrast, the students in the video, my means of communication were mostly based on person-to-person contact, whereas their means of communication was through the masses, e.g social media and websites. Their technologies gave them the power to be creative; they are able to express themselves through their blogs and other "technologically hands-on" media.
My preferred communication technology of choice is email. I find that through email you can reach a mass amount of people in an orderly and somewhat timely matter. Email is especially effective for me as a student; most of my professors will only respond to emails, especially if I'm enrolled in an online course. Emails are a lot more formal than text messaging, which I love, but, unlike text messages, can have a much longer response time.
In today's day and age, especially amongst the youth, text messaging is a blessing and a curse. For starters, it is possibly the fastest way to connect with someone at any given time or place with out having to make a phone call and (possibly) disturb the person one is trying to contact. The downside is that text messaging can be distracting and a nuisance to people around the person who is text messaging--or texting as we like to call it now. In my opinion, texting doesn't give me the same kind of satisfaction as actually talking with a person on the phone.
With the increased usage of emails and texting, it seems like we rarely use our phones for the one purpose it was originally intended for: making phone calls. I personally love talking on the telephone! Nothing is nicer than being able to call up my friends and loved ones to see how they're doing. I can't physically see their faces, but hearing their voices is the next best thing. Unfortunately, the use of phones to make actual phone calls is slowly but surely becoming less and less popular. We would rather send a text or an email than pick up the phone and talk to someone--or even talk to a person face to face.
As far as learning new information, I believe emails are my best tool. Again, as a student who frequently checks her email, I am subscribed to a multitude of online journals and news/pop culture websites. I get new information sent directly to me--without having to wait 2-3 business days for it to arrive in my mailbox. Email is an excellent tool for educational and recreational purposes.
In comparison to the students in the video, technologies have become some sort of "third hand"; I am always connected and, in a sense, I feel sort of naked with out it. It's fast, easy, and incredibly convenient. It's hard for me to think of a time when technology did not have a helping hand in my life. In contrast, the students in the video, my means of communication were mostly based on person-to-person contact, whereas their means of communication was through the masses, e.g social media and websites. Their technologies gave them the power to be creative; they are able to express themselves through their blogs and other "technologically hands-on" media.
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