Trying Technological Teaching

So what does it mean to teach in the age of technology? Well, a few things I suppose. Students who walk into my classroom will be more savvy with computers, cell phones, video cameras, and anything else you can fit into the category of modern technology than I am. I have to expect this. Some may not, in fact many may not, but the reality is that in order to teach them, I must do so in the most effective way. I have to meet them where they are; I have to reach out to them where they come from and hope to engage them. By the time I am in front of my own classroom, who knows what my students will be familiar with, but there is no question that they will live in a technological world. Thus, in order to reach them sufficiently and teach them effectively, I must match their environments (or at least try to) in terms of the technology they have and use. This is simultaneously exciting and intimidating. I came into this course this year scared of technology. We had to set up four online accounts before the  first day of class. That was an intimidating assignment. However, throughout this course I have learned by doing, and have come to a much more comfortable level with technology. In fact, I am excited about using it in my classroom. Webquests, podcasts, and powerpoint slideshow films are a great way to have students create content centered projects. They will simultaneously learn how to use these programs and whatever content their project is on. My goal as a teacher is to learn more about technology so that I am comfortable enough to use these programs in my own classroom. Technology can be an avenue for engagement if I use it correctly.  As a final note, this semester I have learned by actually using these programs. I have learned the programs themselves, but also the content I worked with. This exemplifies the importance of learning by doing. I will use this strategy to teach my own students, and much of this doing and creating can easily incorporate technology.