Philosophy+&+Extras

Philosophy and benefits to integrating technologies
The integration of technology into classrooms today has become imperative. Students will be entering a world where they will be expected to be literate in the use of technology for jobs as well as networking with friends. As we enter the 21st Century, it is important that educators prepare students to be the best 21st century citizens that they can. Integrating technology is the only way to meet this goal. Not only is it important that students understand how to use technology in different ways, they learn better through it's use. Our students are considered "digital natives," meaning they are growing up in a technical world, using technology at every turn in their lives. Teachers need to implement technology into their curriculum in order to simply meet the needs of our students today. We are doing our students a disservice if technology is not used whenever possible.

What technologies am I most comfortable integrating?
I am most comfortable using technologies such as web based programs, software that is loaded onto a computer, and different types of assisitive technologies. I am a learning support teacher who uses many different types of supplemental programs via the computer to help students practice already learned material. Also, I have students who need to use assistive technologies in order to communicate or move around their environment. After learning about interactive PowerPoints and different Web 2.0 tools through this course, I will be trying to implement many of these technologies in my classroom next year. Students in my room are on the computer everyday, but I will be trying to //integrate// these technologies into lessons rather than use them for supplemental work.

Barriers and Issues
There are many different barriers and issues that get in the way of technology integration. Many of which are different across school districts. There is the issue of money in many districts. Many schools can not afford to purchase or train their educators in the way to use new technologies that become available. This brings me to another barrier, and that is lack of training. Teachers are not trained in using technology and do not have an understanding of how to implement it into their classrooms. Much of this is because teachers today are "digital immigrants" learning as they go. Furthermore, there is a lack of time to change what is already planned for in classrooms. Educators are getting less and less time to plan and more and more curriculum to cover through out a school year. Integrating technology takes time when you are new to the idea. Finally, I see the amount of technology to choose from as a barrier. Some districts have the complete opposite problem as districts with low budgets, they have too many types of technologies to choose from. I find this in my district and am often overwhelmed with my choices. It is often hard to choose the best way to present a topic and what technology is the best avenue to take.