This week in class we talked about using technology in elementary classes. We started out the class by watching a short video clip, about a man who gave a speech, and the technology seemed to be in charge of the presentation, and not him.
The video started out with him coming up on stage, and rifling through the notes he had jotted down, and seemed to get flustered since he couldn't find what he was looking for. This is an obvious mistake when teaching, but I think when it comes to technology, it is very obvious when the teacher does not know what he/she is doing. Children today are very technology-savvy, and being a teacher who will be older than them, it would be easy to fall behind in the times. Then, when I am using the new technology for lessons, if I am not up-to-date with how to use the program, it could be frustrating for the kids to watch, as they probably know how it works. I think this is an important point when using technology as a teacher.
Next, the man in the video tried to use the microphone, but it kept ducking/jumping away from him. He spent almost the entire video trying to get the microphone to work. Technology doesn't always work properly. Computers can get viruses, they can be extremely slow some days, and they can just simply not work properly when you most need them to. A teacher could spend his/ her entire day trying to get a program to work, and waste hours of school time. Not only are kids missing out on learning, but they will also be extremely bored and restless. I think that if technology is not working out on day, it's important to move on with something else, and come back once you have figured out how to solve the problem.
It is so important to maintain control of the technology used in the classroom. The ten months per year spent in a classroom already seems to be too little time to get to know all of the children and present them with the cirriculum. When used properly, technology can make learning and teaching more efficient, but when it gets ahead of the teacher, it quickly becomes wasteful and inefficient. Staying on top of technology is essential for classroom management and success!
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