Digital Blog Post #B

The first concept I wanted to focus on is the barriers to using technology in the classrooms. I noticed there are many barriers that limit the use of technology with the classrooms such as: lack of access, teaching schedules, curriculum requirements, technology skills, organizational support, and personal attitudes (Maloy, et al., 2013, p. 30-32). Two barriers that really stood out to me and have a major impact today are technology skills and personal attitudes. A teacher’s familiarity with technology and the attitude she displays toward it plays a huge role in a classroom setting. We can see that when a teacher has a negative attitude about using technology in the classroom, it often is due to lack of knowledge of technology and how beneficial/effective it can be in learning. I believe that once that negative attitude is overcome, the learning process of technology will be fun and exciting.

The second concept that caught my attention is how technology enhances teaching/learning. According to the textbook, computers and other digital tools enhance two central aspects of the work of a teacher which are instructional practices and administrative/professional activities (Maloy, et al., 2013, p. 29-30). Instructional practices are methods of teaching during which the teacher is interacting directly with students and administrative/professional activities consist of planning, organizing, recordkeeping activities teachers need to perform to support direct instruction of students. As we can see, both aspects can be used technologically and work hand in hand in the effectiveness of teaching/learning. We as teachers need to push forward and adapt to new technologies as well as continue to incorporate them into our classroom setting.

The third concept that I wanted to focus on is the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) which is a broad vision of schooling that features technology-supported learning environments for every student (Maloy, et al., 2013, p. 37). NETS has a core belief that technology makes new learning experiences exciting and that the role of schools is to prepare students through academic content, encourage innovative and creative thinking, and prepare students for digital world.More information and activities can be found in the article The NETS project. I believe these standards help teachers and students think outside of the box and learn the necessary technological skills necessary for the digital world. 

Resources:

Education World: Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2017, from http://www.educationworld.com/standards/national/technology/

Kobenko, K (2017, January 18). Technology in the Class. Created with ToonDoo www.ToonDoo.com

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.