Day 01

      Yesterday, we had our first meeting for EDUC 504: Teaching with Technology. I was looking forward to this class because I have always thought of myself as a bit of a tech nerd. I own a smartphone, a desktop computer, and a laptop, and I use all three fairly regularly. I've spent a great deal of time creating beautiful spreadsheets with Excel, and I would never consider writing programs to be a waste of time. I have, however, always been a bit of a skeptic when it comes to using technology in a classroom. I don't like taking notes with my laptop, trying to read a paper off of a screen is brutal, and it always seems like something unforeseen happens when trying to submit homework through the Internet. I don't mind using Powerpoint to present material, but I wouldn't say no to a transparency and projector, either. With this skepticism in mind, I hope to understand when and how technology can and should be used in a classroom.
      Despite this class being about how we can use technology in a classroom, the first thing we did yesterday was draw (with a pencil and paper) what we would like our ideal classroom to look like. While I may be a tech nerd, my classroom certainly did not reflect it. This may be partly due to my anxiety over using technology to do things like take notes, but also because of what I hope to teach. My discipline is Earth science, so I hope to be able to focus much of my curriculum on doing hands-on things, not looking at screens. Therefore, I made room in my classroom for only six computers, and while the picture might not show it, I would rather them be the big old-fashioned bulky kind that take twenty minutes to turn on and generate enough heat to warm the room in the dead of winter. I did include a Smart Board in my design, but I'm not exactly sure how I would use it at this point. A copy of my drawing can be seen in my previous post.
      The title of this class is Teaching with Technology, and while one of the focuses of the class will be how we can use technology in a classroom, we will also ponder the practicality of using technology in the classroom. Rory talked about a story in which a timer for his hose enabled him to water his garden while he was away rather than having to ask a neighbor to do it. The timer worked perfectly and did what it was supposed to do, but it also caused Rory to miss out on interacting with his neighbor. Rory also told a story of how he and a colleague began using Chromebooks in their classrooms. The students were able to do things that they had never been able to do before, and the initial reactions were very positive. Rory and his colleague began to realize, though, that the Chromebooks worked so well that the teachers may be becoming obsolete. Both of these stories are significant for this class. There may be benefits that can only come from using technology in a classroom, but the cost needs to be considered. The bigger picture of the purpose of schooling should be the driving force behind any technology that is used in a classroom.