Blog Post 2: Using handheld devices for educational purposes

The article I read was Using Handheld Wireless Technologies in School Advantageous or Disadvantageous by Morgan, Hani. I really enjoyed this article it spoke about how using handheld devices within the classroom can be a good and bad thing. Let us begin by examining what a handheld device is and what it can do for a student. A handheld device is defined as a small computing device that one can hold in their hand. A student can use a handheld device such as smartphone, I-pad, kindle, or nook to search the internet for valuable information, view informative videos, chat with tutor or teachers, answer questions within the classroom, read books, and create multi media presentations for class. This article covered several important aspects of using technology in the classroom. First it speaks about the advantageous of technology and student engagement. As we all know teenagers are very interested in new and innovative technology weather its a smartphone, or a tablet students love to use them even for educational purposes. There were several studies done on this subject that had very favorable results. The study that stuck out the most was conducted on a group of 32 eighth graders. In this group of students they were aloud to use their phone to help them learn several difficult concepts in math. It was noted that the students were able to learn these concepts using their phone. They were able to study anywhere outdoors, indoors, in the car, etc. The students were able to use their phones to manipulate concepts and use the math they were learning in real world situations as a result it was concluded that even though phones can be a distraction if used properly they can also help students with the learning process Baya'a and Daher (2009). The next thing that this article speaks about is some of the disadvantageous of technology in the classroom. As previously stated while technology can be a great teaching tool it can also hinder the learning process because it can at times be a distraction to the student and may not mesh well with their learning style. While it seemed that technology work well in a math class the results were not as favorable with ESL students. While it seemed that they were excited about using the technology to learn new vocabulary it did not help with the improvement of test scores Patten and Craig (2007) It seems that technology has many perks and just as many disadvantages. I personally enjoy using technology in the classroom. I feel that it makes the learning more fun and engaging not only for the students but also for myself. The take away from this article for me is technology used in the right context can be very powerful to the learning process. References Morgan, Hani.(2010, Winter). Using Handheld Wireless Technologies in School: Advantageous and Disadvantageous. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/845517114?accountid=7113

Blog Post 1: Technology Strengths and Weakness

As an educator it is very important for me to keep up with the latest trends in technology. The 21st century learner is not like the student of yesterday. They must be engaged, interactive and entertained at all times hence the importance of technology within the classroom. During my short stint as a teacher I have found that some of my greatest strengths in technology can be found when I am helping facilitate small groups of students during computer based projects. I love helping young minds explore the world and quench their thirst for knowledge. Being a computer junkie myself I am able to effectively model the do and don’ts of internet surfing and research for each and every one of my students.

While I maybe an expert with the older patrons I at times experience difficulty teaching younger students on their appropriate level when using technology. My mind is constantly working and at times I experience a hard time differentiating a lesson for younger or lower level students when using technology. At times I also find it difficult to create rich and rewarding technology stimulated environments when students have very basic understanding of how to use a computer for anything outside of social media or checking the scores to a baseball or football game. I would love for students to learn all the amazing educational things that technology can do for them in and outside of the classroom.

I plan to use both my strengths and my weakness to help me grow into a better me. First, I will start off by placing more effort into planning for my younger patrons possible having several interactive activities (on different levels) for them to do that involve research, book search (using the online catalog etc I am sure I can find more information about this using sighs such as Pinterest. I will use my love for books and technology to help spark interest through hands on activities such as creating book trailers, blogging, etc. I would love to continue to learn the different ways that I can use technology to grab and hold my students attention for the duration of class. I would also love to find out more information on how to create effective differentiated assessments for all of my classes. I am hoping that throughout the duration of this course I will be able to really strengthen the weaknesses that I described as well as add to my repertoire of skills.