Week 1 - Should we integrate technology into the classroom?

My first reaction to this question is almost instantly a yes! This youtube video didn't necessarily say much but it did reiterate the fact that children nowadays are growing up in a digital world. They will learn best with what they know. Today, that is learning through technology. As educators we need to understand that technology is not going anywhere and be willing to accept that and help our students because the best learners they can be. Technology will most certainly help us along this path.

Something I found stunning from the video I mentioned before was the fact that China has more honor students than the United States has citizens. When I think of China one of the first things I think of is technology. Clearly they are utilizing the technology they have at their disposal in the classroom and it is greatly benefiting their students. The United States should follow China's lead and become more technology savvy. This will not only help the students succeed but the teachers as well.

I know technology is not an easy thing to come by in a lot of school districts but what is available will be very beneficial to the children. I believe that they will be willing to try harder or even enjoy school more if they can use technology to enhance their learning. People in general do what they love, if children love creating a digital story online rather than doing a pen and paper book report then we should encourage that! If that is how they learn the material best than that is what is truly important.

In an article discussing reasons why educators should encourage more independent learning it gave this reason:
Independent learners are more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.
A weakness is only as dangerous as the level of ignorance the person has about it. Independent learning forces students to grapple with both their strengths and weaknesses through the educational process.

I thought this quote was really powerful because if we allow children to become more independent learners than they themselves are responsible for their education. Through that required responsibility children can define their strengths and work on their weaknesses. I think this is a great skill to have later in life. So many of us have a hard time identifying and overcoming weaknesses but maybe if we were forced to look at this earlier on in life we would be able to handle our weaknesses better as adults.

Overall I think technology should definitely be integrated more in the classroom. The world we live in is becoming increasingly reliant on technology and we should embrace that. Our students enjoy technology and it is our job as educators to teach them in a way that will make them enjoy learning.