As a teacher, I think it’s important to understand
where my students are coming from. New Jersey is a very diverse state so I know
I will have students from different backgrounds and those who may not have
access to computers at home so they may rely on their school computers or
public library. Students like Olivia, who do not have certain privileges like
computers, are put into everyday obstacles they have to overcome. She mentioned
in the video that she lives in an impoverished neighborhood and mentions that
her mom wants to leave but because of their situation, they cannot move. It is
my role as a teacher to help students like Olivia overcome these obstacles. She
says she has an off day without listening to music on a daily basis. Some
students like Olivia use technology as not only a motivation but also an escape
from their reality. I would like to teach in an urban setting, where students
from different backgrounds are put into one high school, some privileged,
others not. I want to guide my students and provide them with the best
education I can. Sometimes, students learn and become more motivated with
technology around. They like to get creative and in order for that to happen,
technology has to be included in their lives. Technology is incredibly
resourceful and helps students overcome their obstacles. It is imperative to
incorporate technology into the curriculum, especially with students like
Olivia. It helps students take control of whatever it is they are doing.
Whether it’s a school project or a personal project, they have to sit and figure
out what recourses they have and how they can possibly create an end result.
Technology helps students like Olivia become proactive.
Three forms of technology that helped shape who I
am today are computers, phones and the television. I used these technologies
not only for entertainment purposes but also educational. When I was younger, I
would use computers for school projects and papers. Nowadays, because of the
internet, I can do almost anything on the computer. I receive all my news from
the internet, whether it’s actually on my laptop or the Huffington Post app on
my iPhone. One student in the “Learning to Change, Changing to Learn” video
said that technology is “an extension of being who you are.” I can agree with
this statement because we seek and gain knowledge from the internet, we
communicate with our peers through the internet and we are able to upload
anything from pictures, videos to blogging about our lives through the use of
the internet. Furthermore, everything is portable now. I use my iPhone for
almost everything; calendar, note taking, social networking to communicate with
my friends around the world. Everything has become easier and convenient because
of technology. For example, anything I need help with I can easily access the
internet and find a step by step solution to it. A student mentioned how she
was learning Chinese on the internet, another example of how technology is not
only convenient but constantly and quickly evolving. The fact that we are now
able to learn another language on the internet is fascinating. However, I do
not agree with one student who said she does not like acronyms because she is
not a robot. Acronyms are not only used when texting but also in real life. For
example, in education, there is a law called the No Child Left Behind Act and
is commonly known as the acronym NCLB. So I do not think we are transforming
ourselves to function like technology. Aside from that, another statement I
agree with is when a student said that technology is all about experimenting;
trial and error. We are able to begin a task or project with the use of
technology, play around with it and experiment to see what we are comfortable
with or what works for us to create an end result. Furthermore, we are able to
delete almost anything, whereas in life, what’s done is done and we have to
move on. With the use of technology, we are able to fix our mistakes and
perfect our tasks. Lastly, technology is for all ages. Anyone can be creative,
from children to adults. Also, in regards to using technology for educational
purposes, anyone can turn on a technological device and either watch a show
about learning new words and sounds or read about what is going on around the
world. Whether it’s for language learning, obtaining information, reading the
news, expanding your knowledge or just being creative on a personal project,
technology is a bare necessity in our lives.
