Scenario

Twitter, Go Animate, Animoto

As a teacher my strongest attributes are that I am very caring, passionate, and relatable. Since I have been around technology my whole life and have been involved in social networking through things like Facebook and Twitter, it is easy for me to jump right in and learn to use new tools for technology. Some of my challenges are that I am a people pleaser so at times it is difficult for me to have discipline throughout the classroom, and I am not always confident in my decisions. If I had to learn how to use a new software application, like I said, I would jump right in and try it. I would also try to find other educators who have successfully used the tool in their own classroom and ask them to give me some tips. In teaching my students how to use it I know that I would still be learning how to use it as well –we would learn together.

Technology is awesome for student learning. Nowadays kids can’t go anywhere without being around some sort of technology. It is a part of our everyday lives whether we like it or not. So I think that we as educators need to learn how to use it as well as teach our students how to use it. It can be so effectively in their learning. It is great for project-based learning. Students will want to learn because they can do it interactively. Their work can be put online for others to see and they will take pride in that. It is great for visual learners. For example making a cartoon or comic to explain an idea or concept in a particular content area is way easier for them than writing a long essay. Technology tools also help students collaborate together to share their ideas and work together. They are managers of their own learning. Working with technology also forces students to be creative and think outside the box. –there are unlimited possibilities!  For me technology has given me a lot of different options for my future classroom and has pushed me to be more creative with my learning. It has helped me connect with others in a way that I never could before. I would encourage other educators in my future school to use technology because we do not want to be stuck in the past! I would show them example of tools I have used and that have helped me in my own learning. Twitter could be used to remind students of homework assignments, Animoto could be used for the students to make personal videos to get to know each other better, Go animate could be used to introduce a certain concept in the content area, the list could go on and on. Technology opens a whole new window to a whole new world. We need to take advantage of it!