The first concept that caught my attention as I’m sure it
did others was the numerous amounts of statistics that show the amount of
technology being used by students and young children. I was a little shocked at
just how much it is really used. I like to think of young children going
outside and playing rather than sitting inside on some kind of game although
times are changing quickly. The section that talked about young children experiencing
a digital childhood which is “characterized by television watching and
increasing use of computers and other digital media” as referenced by, Maloy,
et al, (2013, pp. 3). Although I can’t keep young children spending countless
hours watching television or playing games, there are some things I could try
to have parents do with their children that’s educational by giving them websites
like this one for example, Free Online Educational Games. I looked through a lot of these games and I liked how they really looked like games that kids would enjoy and at the same time still be able to use technology.
Second, I was interested about technology-based teaching tool. I think it's great that teachers are able to do this. After reading about it, I realized that my kindergarten teacher actually did this with us. We had centers and some of them consisted of getting on the computer and doing activities. I think using a technology-based teaching tool is very helpful because it allows the teacher to focus more on a group of kids instead of the entire classroom. I will definitely use it in my classroom as a teaching tool. This video was a actually one that was used when I was younger and I hope to be able to use the same in my classroom one day as well.
Third, the book gave us strategies for learning new technologies. I thought it was really interesting to read some of these strategies because it will most definitely be helpful one day. The one I found most helpful was "Learn technologies while teaching academic content" which was stated by Maloy, et al, (2013, pp. 14). I think all teachers should incorporate and keep up with the technology as much as possible. Technology is an ongoing thing and I believe that kids work very well with it because it's something they're comfortable with.
All in all, there is a lot to learn about becoming a 21st century teacher. It's very obvious that technology plays a huge role in successful teachers. I'm not saying that all successful teachers use technology but i think connecting with students through technology is the easiest and best way to get the job done.
Resources
Educational Games for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://www,education.com/games,educational
Letter Pictures c.(n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RSGan1OHzE
Maloy, R,. O'Loghlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
