So week three into the school year and we are approaching the end of our unit. I introduced vocab early via quizlet and an interactive game called gimkit and the students responded well. Today I had two separate students quote different words we have been working on verbatim. Needless to say I was one happy teacher that is until I asked them what it meant . . . They stared at me blank faced. They could quote the terms but were unable to apply it to what we were working on. The technology component created a sense of interest and they did learn which terms matched the definitions, but they needed me to help them make the connection. This brings me back to some modifications that I may need to make on my Teachnology Philosophy statement to ensure that my students can use technology as a tool but realize that it’s not the end all be all.

I was surprised at how difficult I found this assignment to be! Using this blog as a means of processing some of my thoughts and generating key ideas that could be flushed out seemed to be a start but not just enough. Some of the feedback that I have been getting in regards to my progress in the class has been the lack of dedication to my blog (my interpretation of the feedback) and I agree. I am used to reading something, analyzing it, and providing textual and scholarly text based evidence to support my ideas. The reason that I think I am struggling with the blog and the philosophy statement is because I no longer have the routine, which I have become very comfortable with, and shield provided for me. Asked to share what I think and why is the same basic principle but the introspection and connection to my life is one that I am not used to on top of being uncomfortable with. Blame it on the system or my particular personality, but this is something that has really opened my eyes in terms of what I perceive as a significant investment of my time and skill when it comes to writing.

 So I just wanted to take an opportunity to reflect on my personal experiences as a student using technology. Some of the least effective ways have been using online platforms as simply a digital form of a worksheet. I’m not only experience this as a student but I have witnessed it happening to my own students by some of my colleagues. Since we are 1:1 in my district there is an ample amount of opportunities to incorporate technology into every content in every classroom if the teacher so desires. There is also a sense of pressure, especially by the administration, to try and use the chromebooks on a regular basis based on the amount of money the district forked over for the students to have these devices. I definitely understand their perspective, but just because students carry around the chromebooks all day it doesn’t mean every teacher needs to have them use them throughout the day. And I think it’s because of that pressure that teachers simply turn their previously paper worksheets into digital versions. There is this false assumption that this counts as using technology in the classroom. I see this at the collegiate level as well. There is either a sense of pressure from superiorities or level of uncomfortableness with using technology that results in this flat use. 

 After having read the Teachnology Philosophy statement assignment there were a couple key pieces that I found to be not only helpful but clarifying in terms of how this will help me later on in my classroom. The first thing that I really appreciate it was that there could be references to outside sources that support our views. As helpful as it is to just go through the thought process I think it’s even more important to make sure that our ideas are founded on researched based information. Secondly, it was nice to see the list of possible blogging topics as a means of preparing for this assignment. I find myself struggling to use the blog and can’t quite pinpoint the reason as to why this is but having clear tangible topics for every posting I think will help with this. Finally as an English teacher I really appreciate the opportunity to have P review as a means of refining our drafts. In the writing process since this is super helpful but also having a chance to read what some of my classmates have developed will also be a major help. That’s all for now.