Reflecting (Interactivity #3) (3)

      As an English major, it doesn't surprise me that most of our technologies are under the "authoring" category. It was a little bit difficult to find technologies that were specifically related to English education initially. However, upon further research, I found a significant amount of technologies that were not necessarily specific to English education but could easily be used specifically for English classes. Many of our technologies are self-expression websites in the form of social networking, such as Tumblr and Think. These technologies are great both for the classroom and for outside of the classroom. They allow students to express themselves and to connect with people that are simply doing the same thing as they are: expressing themselves. Most websites like that are non-judgement zones, therefore giving the students a safe haven. As a collective group of technologies, I think that we chose technologies that are both relevant to the classroom and to the outside world. Many of them, though not specifically, involove some form of social networking which help the students to connect with other students that maybe aren’t in the same year or the same district as they are. Though social networking sites aren’t always condoned by educational professionals, the ones that we picked as a group are beneficial to a students education as well as with their personal lives. With the advances in educational technology being in the forefront of everything in this day and age, we as future educators need to accept and respond to them, and figure out a way to integrate them into our classroom. These technologies will definitely be making their way (if they haven’t already) into classrooms across the country, and most definitely ours when we start teaching, so opening our eyes to them now if only benefitting us and our future students.

"How Far We've Come" (Interactivity #2) (2)

With the advancements in technology, soon enough students won't know how to do anything by hand and they will solely rely on technology to do everything for them.

Source:
http://liz-meyer.com/2695755/NY-Times-RFD-Evolution

90's Kid Technology (Interactivity #1) (1)

I like to refer to myself as a “90’s kid.” That label says a lot about the generation that I am growing up with. We, as children, grew up in a time filled with technological discoveries and developments and in my opinion, we have an upper hand when it comes to education that involves them. These technologies have helped us, as a generation, grow and learn, but most importantly become a generation filled with new minds, new educational abilities, and new outlooks on how to incorporate technologies into the classroom. 

That being said, there are very specific technologies that I rely on. The three that are most important to me are my Smartphone, social networking sites (namely Twitter and Tumblr), and email. If not for these three technologies, I fead that I’d have no connections to the outside world. 

I recently came into owning an iPhone, and it’s the best thing that I’ve ever owned. Prior to this, I had a cellphone and an iPod, but now the two are combined into one portable device. There’s a kind of power that comes with owning a Smartphone due to literally everything being at your fingertips at virtually anytime. Because it has text messaging, emailing, my music, the internet, social networking sites, and so much more, I don’t ever miss a beat. 

As far as social networking sites are concerned, I think that they are wonderful to have when used in the right context. They can definitely go both ways for me; they can be used for good, such as staying up to date with goings-on with people that you care about as well as other people, or they can be used for evil because people are relentless and use these sites for their own malicious purposes. My two favorite sites are Twitter and Tumblr, though I do have a Facebook. The reason that I have taken a special liking to the first two is because they’re good for networking in a simple sense: Twitter only allows you to write 140 characters a post, while Tumblr is more personal and sentimental blogging site. Also, with Tumblr and Twitter, you can “follow” people that are influential. For instance, on Tumblr I follow a blog “The Daily What” which blogs about the happenings around the world. On Twitter, I follow the New York Times, which tweets about anything that is newsworthy. So, not only do these sites keep me updated on people in my own life, but they also keep me updated on what’s happening around me.

This brings in email. My email is one of my main lifelines. I use it to not only stay in contact with people, but it keeps me updated, as well, with goings-on around me. I get the New York Times headlines emailed to me, I get emails from the WWF and change.org, and obviously, most importantly, I get emails about the happenings at school when I don’t really have any other way to be in the know. If not for emails, then my connections to the outside world would be seriously hindered.

As a future teacher, it’s good to know the technological resources that your students have so you know what kind of work to give them and what you can expect from them technologically. Olivia, though she doesn’t have immediate access to computers, cellphones, and other technologies, she does have some access to them which gives her the upper hand over some of her classmates. However, though she doesn’t always have the access to computers and the like, she is extremely technology-savvy, and that helps her. But, not everyone that doesn’t have constant access to technology are as savvy as she is which would have to be taken into consideration as a teacher.

The relationship that I have with technology is very similar to the students in the videos; there are some differences, but we share most of the same thoughts and reasonings for why we use and how we use technology. Technology has helped shape our lives as not only learners and educators, but as human beings. We have a bright future as learners and educators with the advances in technology that are constantly being developed. In the second video, one of the students said this and I believe that is 100% true to our use of technologies: “It’s paving the way for us to move forward as a species and a civilization.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.