Final Reflection

The Technology Class taught me many valuable tools which I did not know and have made my life much more simple since learning them.

One of the most valuable things I learned is based on using the "print screen" and "control" buttons at the same time. When you press both at the same time, you essentially copy everything that is on your computer screen. Then, simply go to the "Paint" program in your "Accessories " Section and paste it. Then you can select the portion of the picture you want. After you select it, open a new paint page, and paste that section of the picture. Then you save it as a JPEG and can open it from the blog, or whatever program you are using.

Technology is a very useful tool in teaching because it can make learning so much more fun. The education system is changing quickly, and technology has become a big part of it. Teachers need to update their skills regularly to keep up with the passe of change.

Having a classroom blog is useful. Having the class partake in a WebQuest activity is also very educational and engaging for the students. having access to an interactive white board in your classroom makes teaching a lot easier and offers many learning opportunities. During my last placement, when the students were performing a play, they used the interactive white board as a set enhancement and they had relevant pictures up as a backdrop for their performance.

Teachers need to embrace these changes and support each other to gain confidence in using technology. However, per cautions need to be taken to ensure safety is the number one priority.

Teachers need to make sure they do not post pictures of students up on the Internet for all to see. They also need to check all the websites students will be using before they can go on them. Finally, a system needs to be set in place when a student accidentally gets something on their computer screen which is not kid friendly.

This may involve, quickly turning off your monitor and telling the teacher. Then the teacher can fix the problem and inform the school about the web site that it needs to be blocked. Then the students parents need to be told about what happened and how their child did the responsible thing, telling a teacher.

Another area of concern is the dependency on technology today. Students often depend on spell check to check their spelling. This results in students just mindlessly making spelling mistakes because they know the computer will fix it later.

All of these issues related to technology need to be considered before using it in the classroom. Overall, technology offers many educational advantages which need to be utilized.