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.

So this is my first attempt at a blog post I am very familiar with the process but I have never actually use them in a formal education setting like this and I’m kind of excited for the opportunity. I think for my first post that it’s really important that I really flush out what my current thoughts are with technology used in the classroom. I know by the end of the class we’re supposed to be creating a technology usage philosophy and so I think I need to really get my thoughts down, on I guess in this case a word processor, as to what I truly believe. The nice thing about blogs is that they can kind of be created in a sense that are maybe a little bit untraditional and so I think the things that are going to be most helpful in the sense based on my personality are numbered lists. Here are my top five current believe statements after having been in the classroom for five years with 1:1 Chromebooks all five of those years here we go:

1. Technology cannot replace a face to face interactions
2. Word processors are not the modern “worksheet”
3. Students need to be taught to use technology responsibly 
4. Brain function when using technology needs to be taken into consideration 
5. Reading on a digital device cannot replace the skills while reading physical print media 

I will spend my next few blog posts flushing out where each of these different believe statements have originated from and will restructure and identify key pieces to keep and some pieces that may need to be tossed with the use of the resources given throughout the class. That’s all for now — Amy