Chapter 1 - Digital Badge A

My Three Concepts to Reflect Upon for Chapter 1:

First, the reading explains the importance of keeping up with the times. In order to maintain a teaching-learning relationship in this day, educators are required to express 21^st century skills and approaches to students while they learn. This concept goes along with my own experiences because I felt unprepared for college when I first started. Even though I attended school during a time when technology was booming, I feel that I was lacking the ability to think critically and artistically, which showed in my work. Even though I knew the material it was hard to explain it and give additional details about it. I feel though the technologies were available, they were not used to their potential. Many students are able to learn thoroughly with a chalkboard and lecture, but there are still a large number of students who require a different approach to education. This creates an opening for teachers to harness the technology that is thriving in our 21^st century and attempt to reach more students.

Second, I wasn’t surprised to read about the disparity in the availability of technology in low-income households. As mentioned in the iGeneration section of the reading, the fact that low-income students will have less access to technology at home creates “a participation gap because students do not get exposure to the best that technology can provide for learning” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 5). As an educator I would ensure to incorporate different technologies in the classroom and allow the homework to consist of more easily accessible materials.  Within the classroom, students would have easy access to the technology and material needed to complete class work, but for take home assignments students would only be required to complete more hands on work i.e. Creative projects, worksheets, etc. As I am interested in mathematics, I look forward to incorporating mathematical technologies into the classroom like Mr. Pai:

Third, as Michael Flynn touched on within the reading, each educator has his/her own list of technological must-haves for the classroom. Although each individual is different, there are certain technologies that would be beneficial to a classroom depending on the grade of the class and the subject being taught. Because of my interest in math, I would definitely want an interactive smart board, multiple desktop computers, interactive programs for the computers, and clickers for student interaction. Although this may be my list for now, and is targeted for a specific age group, the technology needed within the classroom can easily change as time goes on and as students adapt.  

In conclusion, although some educators prefer the whiteboard-lecture approach while others are more on board with the new technological approach, I feel both sides are important. It seems many classrooms are still lagging behind with no intention of incorporating technology into education. However, there are now a multitude of classrooms that have opened their doors to the new technological advances that can greatly benefit both students and teachers. My main point with everything that has been said is that a balance needs to be found that can accommodate a variety of learners. Many call this balance between the two approaches Blended Learning.

 Resources

Eduevolution (2013, July 24). Blended Learning- An Introduction to Blended Learning. Retrieved September 3, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L75oPzauAlw

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.   

OLTV19 (2010, June 11). Exciting new approach to classroom learning. Retrieved September 3, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSJ5LwAXxLk