Blog #1 (495ESM)

Hello, my name is Homura, but I also go by Lilly if that's a little too difficult, and my pronouns are she/her.  The topic of this blog is the usage of technology in classrooms.  Technology and media have always been incorporated in teaching since I was in Middle School.  Educational videos, documentaries, and sites were all effective ways in my learning as a kid.  The amount of technology used only increased as I started attending College, which shows a level of importance, or maybe even effectiveness, in teaching using technology.

I believe that technology can be a strong ally in teaching.  For example,  the internet has so many useful resources that can be provided or simply accessed by students that can aid or even help them expand on what they're learning.  Like described above, there were a lot of ways the internet was incorporated in the traditional classroom learning environment that I feel was effective.  In Science classes for example, videos of lab tutorials were shown to us before we performed them ourselves, and could be referenced at any time in case we forgot or needed help.  The videos not only showed us clearly what to do step by step, but also what precautions should be taken and the dangers of certain substances.  It also breathes new life into the usual reading or showing images on paper, which can spark imagination, as well as further aid those who are visual learners (which I can relate to).  While technology is villainized to an extent in schools because, as we know, it can be abused in so many ways, the ways it can help the learning process cannot be ignored.

Technology can also be convenient for students and teachers alike.  Online grading can be so much faster and easier for teachers and specific assignments.  For students, typing is less intensive on the hands and can be faster, and when quoting, students can copy and paste instead of writing it out in full every time.  The editing process online is also much easier than on paper.

Technology as a whole can serve as a huge distraction, but in a controlled, limited, and selective environment, it can serve a powerful role in a classroom.

Comments

  1. KiaraAugust 29, 2024 at 10:22 AM

    Hello, Homura! I too agree that technology has received somewhat of an undeserved reputation within the educational system, mostly due to its distractive potential. I will be the first to admit that, as an adolescent, I was one of the many who would discreetly attempt to use my cell phone during class, much to the annoyance of my instructors and to my own personal detriment. Nevertheless, even if the temptation to divert one's attention away from the lesson is strong, the integration of technology into the classroom is not an idea that should be totally disregarded. As you mention yourself, technology is of great benefit to visual learners, seeing that it can transform abstract concepts into more tangible actions through video tutorials. Furthermore, to cast technology out of the classroom entirely would be virtually impossible. Rather than reject technology as a whole, educators should be searching for opportunities to close the gap between students and course materials with the aid of technology, since students are already so heavily reliant upon it in their daily lives.

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  2. Katherine OrnelasAugust 29, 2024 at 12:05 PM

    I had a similar experience to yours when I was in school where we saw technology advance by leaps and bounds year after year in the technology that would become available in our classrooms. I can’t imagine what it must be like for teenage students today who watch technology progress even more quickly while also being more immersed in online spaces than I was as a kid. I appreciate your mentioning the plus sides to media technology in education and your examples for practical applications of technology in the classroom are very constructive. You’re right to point out that technology in the classroom can be an ally to teachers, even though there are many cases where technologies can be detrimental to students’ education. I also appreciate your mentioning the ways that technology can be helpful to teachers as well as students. There are so many tedious tasks that can be expedited by technology and grant teachers more time to polish their lessons and engage with their students. Great post!

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