Blog Post #1: 📝-->📱

Hey guys! It's me, back again with another blog..

Technology..
I honestly believe that teachers and students have now began to use technology in classrooms more frequently because it is continuing to develop and take over. Technology has taken over jobs (toll collectors being replaced by the SunPass) and our every day lives (ATM apps to check bank balance instead of visiting the bank). And as the years progress, technology continues to grow and evolve, making it easier yet harder for us in some aspects. As teachers, we aim to help prepare our students for the real world. So, being that technology is becoming a part of our everyday lives, it is important that we as teachers, as well as our students, become comfortable with it now.

ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education, provides us with set of standards for Educators that help in the classrooms when it comes to getting the students involved. Among the standards are: Learner, Leader, Citizen, Collaborator, Designer, Facilitator, and Analyst. Personally, the most meaningful standard to me is Leader.  Everyone believes that a leader is one who takes control all the time, and though this is true, a leader also takes a step back. A leader is too a person who is learning new things everyday. Because of this I believe that to be a GOOD leader, one has to allow others to show what they know-- it shows mutual respect and it broadens ones horizons. Though I pride myself on being a great learner, and leader, and citizen, and collaborator, and on and on and on, I believe that the "Designer" standard may be a little out of my skill set. It is not that I cannot create new innovative ideas, its the aspect of not being super confident in those ideas-- not being sure that I will get the response and feedback that I want.

As stated above, technology is growing and evolving constantly; so, it is not today what it was 20-30 years ago. As is technology, our population is growing, and some of us have earned the label of a "digital native."All in all, a digital native is one being born after the 80s, who is thought to be more "tech savvy." I do not agree with the labeling of today's youth being referred to as "digital natives," because I believe that your comfortability with technology is based on factors other than the year you were born. True enough there weren't as many technological devices back then, but where people grow up now and what they can afford can cause someone to be just as uncomfortable with technology as someone older. I do believe that younger people are more patient and willing to learn about the technologies taking over than older individuals, and that why it may seem as though we are better at using it; but, not when we were born IMO. Yes it may have been available, but that doesn't mean we were using it. In school, my teachers then and my teachers now range in ages, so there's always been differences in our technology use. For example, in high school one of my teachers still had a flip phone because all he needed was "to make calls to [his] family;" but, there was also a teacher that was much more comfortable with some of the computers and software than I was-- not because I was born in an era without technology, but because I could not afford it. Granted, more technology is becoming available to individuals in different areas and schools, so I believe that as the years progress, more students will have access to some of the new technologies and educators will continue learning and becoming comfortable with the new tools. When I become an educator, I am not sure that there will be many major differences in my use of technology compared to my students because I believe to be an effective educator I have to keep up with whats inserting to my students, so I personally am open to continue learning about the new technological advances. Also, there is always going to be something that I don't know and they don't know, so it'll all be a learning experience.

Until next time,

-xoxo, RonniquaC😘