2011 Class Blogs

Jordan Henderson

Rich Skillman

Kirstie Walton

George Mazurets

Jessica Henderson

Monica Adair

Beginning of Semester Reflection

I have been surrounded by technology since before kindergarten and our house had its first computer when I won an older one from a raffle at the local community center.  Probably about five years later, my parents bought their first desktop and shortly thereafter, purchased a trial version of AOL.  At about ten years old, I knew that a thing called the internet existed and that just about every cereal box I read or advertisement I examined had a 'www' on it.  I was curious and wanted to access "the www's".  My curiosity towards technology never developed much further than that and in fact, I found the study of all things technological somewhat repulsive.  I remember considering on taking a class in high school to learn how to operate Word, Access, Excel and PowerPoint because I heard it would be beneficial for me in college.  I explored one of those programs with the class for one or two days, remembered how much I hated systematic procedures like those used in Mr. Price's 7th grade typing class, and consequently dropped out of the class.  I think I took a class in ceramics instead.
Since high school, I've significantly improved my typing speed, ability to navigate the world wide web, and my interest in all things technological has increased just slightly.  College is the main reason for this growth because either I was forced to learn, or I foresaw its benefits.  I'm looking forward to learn about why I should be wary of technology both in and out of the classroom and also how to use it correctly and creatively.

Week 2: "Turning On the Lights"

According to the author of  turning on the lights, many children in school are bored because their lessons are not engaging enough and frankly, the students are not being adequately prepared for the future.  These are bold statements made by a bold writer and although I like the traditional teaching methods, I agree with the reasoning behind the author's observations and conclusions based on his observations.  Teachers CAN make school more exciting by incorporating technology into the classroom.  They should encourage its use outside the classroom for the sake of learning.  Through blogging and websites like YouTube, learning can be fun again.  It's worth a shot; to try and amp up the level of creativity in the classroom and to move away from the dull,old-school teaching methods still upheld in so many traditional classrooms today.  It would be wise for new teachers to prepare early for such a transition in order that they may properly and effectively infuse technology into the classroom.