Friday, March 12, 2010

500

I have been a digital native since I was a child. I never knew I was digital native until I began to meet other children who didn’t not understand how to explore and let loose within the technological world. My parents allowed me to digitally explore the Internet with safety limits, but realize that there is more to our world than just paper and pen. I grew up being able to use a computer, a digital camera, a copier, a scanner, learning about Websites and how and why they are used. By learning about technology at a young age, I was able to explore further as far as “html codes”, building websites, and troubleshooting. Through the information that I learned when I was young, I was able to bring it into the class of EDST 221. Now, after taking this class I am more apt to expand my horizons even further and go beyond the depths of searching just within Google search engines. I realized that there is more to the Internet that meets the eye. I always thought of myself as tech savvy or a digital native, but when taking this class I became a digital learner to so many opportunities. I learned about the Smartboard and smartboard tools, and its many uses in the classroom and office space. I also learned about Google, in the past I have used its search engines, maps setting, news archive, and mail. What I never learned to discover about Google was its documents application and website builder. They are easy to use and interpersonal. Knowing about technology, I figured I would use it in the classroom, such as teaching the children how to use a computer, what a computer is, the basics of a computer. Therefore, they are not completely foreign to technology. After, taking this class, I want to integrate technology nearly completely into all of my lesson plans. Whether it is an announcement across Smartboard displaying the day’s assignments or a video from Xtranormal explaining class rules for the day. I would like the children to be interacting with technology every chance they get. They can be making crossword puzzles online, printing them out, and completing them as their homework. The kids could make a poster explaining the War of 1812 on Glogster. Anything to get them excited to learn and ready to explore the Internet safely. If they are learning about exploring the Internet safely at a young age with an adult by their side, the lesson progresses through till their older. I believe that students today have the same aspirations to explore the Internet and technology as my generation did. When each generation finds a new experience or challenge to beat they must explore it and realize how it works. These generations of younger students are just as explorative as my generation, to find how out what is going on within the Internet and other technological devices and how they can make their contribution.

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