Edutopia

After reading the article "Technology Integration: A Short History" my mind was opened to the ways in which technology is used as a supportive tool in education. I'm fully aware of the importance of technology and computers in the classroom. It allows students to utilize and discover the instrument they most likely are already accustomed to in a way that is beneficial to their learning. This article helped me to better understand the advantages technology offers to both students and teachers as it can be used effectively, with proper guidance, for active engagement, group work, interaction and feedback, connections to real-world content and to access limitless information as was stated. I have always been somewhat apprehensive but mostly because I didn't fully understand of the dynamic technology can have. I still have my reservations as far as how much creativity is effected in an environment that seems to have the answers to everything. It makes me question are any thoughts actually original? I imagine it being a challenge for teachers to monitor students usage in that aspect as well as in preventing it from becoming a distraction that could be detrimental to education. The social media section of the article was particularly interesting for me. As I've said before, I don't use facebook, instagram, etc. but I do see how advantageous technology can be. Just by doing this course, I'm particpating in being social online. Learning is successful because of the boundaries that are established and that are understood by students. Like stated in the article, technology should "complement what a good teacher does naturally" and that includes caring enough to provide active support, guidance, and a model of integrity so that students can use the tool to enhance their educational experience.