This first class was informative and surprising. I was unaware of the many aspects in which our lives are affected by everyday technology. To be honest, it left me with a feeling of wariness regarding the amount of information I have displayed on the web. I realize that the internet as well as other technology can greatly serve us in beneficial ways, but find that I am already engaging in more cautious behavior online.
Because potential employers can access this information with ease, I am making conscious efforts to be more self critical when I post on my own or others' facebook profiles, myspace pages, etc. I would be incredibly disappointed with myself if I sabotaged my potential career with a single comment or photo, as the teacher mentioned in class did with her comment about working with "little chitlinz in the ghetto". Although this was not appropriate conduct for a professional, it is alarming to consider the ways in which we make ourselves vulnerable by simply participating in social networking.
The drawing activity in which we were to draw the types of technology that we expect will be present in our own classrooms was helpful because it emphasized the need to be knowledgeable about those types of technology. I included computers, a television, a DVD player, and a projector. Although I feel fairly competent with the basic functioning of all of these devices, I began to speculate about the potential of having more technology, and knowing how to use it more productively and extensively.
This course seems as though it will really improve my technological awareness within the classroom setting. I am hoping to learn more about technology's usefulness in the high school classroom so that I will be able to meet the current needs of today's high school students. I want to gain a more fluent understanding of how modern technology is present in the lives of adolescents. It is through these understandings that I will discover yet another way to relate to my future students.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is such an interesting topic, Kendra!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about feeling more wary than ever about social networking after our class discussion -- although I've always been very careful, I have definitely found myself behaving even more guardedly than usual online. I'm planning to create a new Google Profile page soon, which I hope will be a good first step towards professionalizing my online blast radius. Thanks for a thought-provoking post!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, Kendra. I would only add that I think that web-based tools and resources may open the most exciting doors of all for world language teachers. Here's a hint of this potential, as embodied in a site created by a fellow MACer, Joanna Porvin.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with your thoughts in this blog, Kendra. I also became slightly weary of my uses of social networking sites, after our first class. I have tried to do my best in setting my privacy settings, but it is unsettling to know that even these precautions could not be enough to keep out unwanted viewers.
ReplyDeleteAs for using technology in the classroom, I am excited about this possibility, as I am also slightly nervous about mastering the art of these new technologies. I hope that this course will open my eyes to a number of different ways to use technology in my own classroom.
Hi Kendra, what a pretty blog you have :) I like the color scheme you selected! I appreciated your comment about thinking twice about what you post these days because as we learned in last week's class, our electronic footprint will follow us forever. Thanks for your excellent help in class yesterday!--Lara
ReplyDelete