Technology Counts

It is very interesting to read this article. Everything they talked about in the article we are doing in our 307 class. One very interesting fact that I learned from this article is that states have technology standards for students and teachers. It's weird because very rarely did we use technology in school and very rarely did the teachers too. I didn't realize how important technology is becoming until I read that standards are out there. This article also shows how easy it would be able to use technology with our students because the majority of our students use it outside of the classroom at home, whether it's surfing the web, using an iPod, a digital camera, whatever, they use technology and they use it alot.

The other article from a students point of view I can relate to easily. When I wake up in the morning it is to a song on my iPod. I have a dock so that I can listen to my iPod as if I was listening to a CD or to the radio. I got my music off of the Internet. When I am home I wake up to my cell phone which plays a song I bought off of Verizon Ring tones. Throughout the day I am listening to my iPod, surfing the Internet, IM'ing, checking my e-mail, talking on my cell phone and even texting. I am constantly using technology from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep, no joke. Going into a classroom where you are bored because it is very traditional does not motivate a student to do well in school. I thought it was great that instead of writing a paper his teacher let him make a movie. The amount of effort and time that was put into that was probably a great deal. The only thing is he will eventually have to write a paper, you do still write them in college and you should always be improving that. But that is something to keep in mind, if someone can be creative like that, let your student do it. Expand their horizons.