Imagine it is the year 1996, you just turned 16 and your parents hand you a cell phone for you to use in case of emergencies (minutes are like $10.00 per minute…haha). You feel like you are totally awesome!!! Little did you know about how much technology would change in the next 15 years…..That was me in 1996. I thought I had it all. When I entered college in 1998, I felt completely prepared to take on the world.
I completed my undergraduate degree in 2002. That feels like forever ago; in terms of technology it was forever ago. My undergraduate degree required me to complete C++ programming and I utilized Microsoft software as well as several various math programs. I also used the internet to send and receive e-mail and research topics. I thought I knew a lot about technology. I now feel like I learn something new every day. I believe my undergraduate degree addressed most of the 7th technology standard; however utilizing an online learning environment was not addressed. The first course I took completely online was the summer of 2010. I enrolled in a PBS course and really enjoyed learning from people all over the state of Georgia. In fact that course persuaded me to enroll in an online master’s program.
Currently, I use many of the technologies I used in my undergraduate courses. I have also made an effort to update my knowledge through staff development. I use technology such as a smart board, website, math program and this semester module. I am really excited to learn how to improve my instruction by using technology more often. I believe this course addresses each of the objectives in the 7th technology standard. We certainly are collaborating on our blogs as well as our technology audit. I really enjoy the set up of the wimba classroom. I feel like I am connected, but from afar. Learning in this manner allows for different perspectives from classmates attending class all over the world. So far, online learning has been a wonderful experience for me. I am inspired to include a wider variety of technologies in my classroom on a daily basis.
Thank you:
www.bing.com for images
I tell my students that the software they are using today will be obsolete in a few years. Then they look at me and whine, "Then why do we have to learn it?" I then explain to them that I am not teaching them 'just' a program, I am teaching them how to learn programs. The skills they use today will be repeated over and over as technology changes. Just like moving into a new house, when they get new software, they may have to stumble around a bit, but they will eventually learn where the light switches are.
ReplyDeleteYou were lucky enough to be exposed to technology throughout your undergrad years. Even though the programming was old, it served you well. You are not afraid to learn! That is the gift we give our students.
I can take you back farther than that: when word processing was done on mag cards; data entered on keypunch machines. The first mobile phone Iused in the military was the size of a lunch box! I am glad I can reach that far back, and it gives me perspective on what lies ahead. Our kids have to be part of revolutionized thinking to not only keep up with technology, but to help invent it. Tanks for the post opportunity. Peace
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