Reflection Upon Technology Integrated Lesson/ Unit

I found this exercise to be painful.  While I liked the idea of it, it was extremely difficult for me to get my ideas organized and into some kind of readable format.  In terms of the lesson itself I enjoyed delivering it and felt like people enjoyed the lesson as well.  I should not have copied text from Wikipedia and posted onto my e-sheet which was setting a bad example for the kids who already rely on the internet for everything.  I really wanted them answering in their own words so it was even a worse strategy than I thought.  Think I spent too much time reviewing the e-sheet and would have spent less time typing on the computer in front of the class.

Tweens spend entirely too much time on electronic media devices

While the number of hours kids spend on electronic media were eye-opening it did not surprise me because I was already of the opinion they spend an unhealthy amount of time and focus on electronic media.  The fact that the hours they spend watching "television" has gone down for the first time in a long time was actually deceiving  because TV shows and movies are available on demand on tons of different smart devices and on computers and through your Wii now.  Seems to me that nobody watches movies shown on t.v. anymore due to the fact you can virtually watch any movie you want at anytime wherever you want with today's technology.

We spoke the other day in class about how the kids would rather look at a blank computer screen than pay attention to their teacher.  I do not think multitasking is a good strategy, especially when you are trying to learn something and interact with peers in the classroom.  If I had my druthers iPods, cell phones, blackberries, and other electronic media devices would not be allowed in school or at least not in the classroom.  I think this would improve my teaching by the simple fact the kids would be so bored they would have no choice but to involve themselves in the classroom and pay attention to me.  Technology use by tweens today undoubtedly has negative effects on academic performance and we need to change the way we currently allow students to use these devices in school.

Reflecting upon Texts

The books we are reading for class make some valid points regarding the value of technology and how or how not to use it in the educational field.  The texts make it clear that just because we have developing and cool technology available to us does not mean these technologies should replace classical proven methods of teaching or the teacher.  In fact the texts are exactly right in pointing out that integrating technology in the classroom requires careful planning and integration design.  It is important not to use technology for technologies sake or because you think it is cool.  There is an appropriate time and reason to incorporate technology in the classroom.  The texts talk about the need for training teachers in the various technologies in order to help them use it effectively.  I agree wholeheartedly and believe there is a need for training teachers in this area today.  There is a common belief that individuals should keep up on technology and teach themselves how to use it.  The fact of the matter is, with as busy as teachers are, it would be extremely beneficial for individuals and the educational system as a whole if more focus was put on training on what technology is available, how to use it, and how to effectively integrate it into lessons or in the classroom.  At the same time we need to be careful not to overemphasize the use of technology in the classroom and act responsibly when we use it.

Personal Educational Philosophy and Technology

     My personal philosophy of education would be a mixture of humanism, which is ultimately striving for
social equality and developing the whole human being, plus futurism, and essentialism, which is the idea of
teaching essential skills and strategies to prepare youth for the future where they should contribute positively
to a democracy that is successfully competing in a global marketplace. 

         Learning is a process that involves many steps, the most important of which is processing or reflecting on
activities that have been experienced.  Whether it is observing how others do things, actively participating in
physical activity, reading a book, interacting with other entities verbally or physically, or making horrible decisions
and mistakes , the learning process really happens when the brain is processing or reflecting on these activities.
Technology has had a major impact on how we learn and has changed in today's world and has almost infinite
applications in the classroom and elsewhere.  Almost any information is available by the click of a mouse,
however information does not always mean knowledge.  We need to be extremely careful to guide our youth to
appropriate uses of technology as much of what kids use today can be destructive and inappropriate.  Cyber-
bullying on social networking sites like Facebook is on the rise and kids at very young ages are simulating
shooting and killing in today's extremely violent video games .  This negative aspect of technology is counter
productive to the spiritual growth aspect of humanism and can be near impossible to monitor.  We as teachers need to enlighten parents as to what the youth of today are using technology for, especially when it is used in negative ways.  More attention should be given to the importance of the connection between parents and teachers and the strategies to ensure technology is not harming the spiritual and social-emotional growth of students today.