[1] Interactivity #1: Technology as Autobiography

          As a future teacher it is important to keep up with the latest technologies, specifically the ones that we can take advantage of in the classroom. Whether you want to accept it or not, technology is constantly being used more and more in the classrooms that we will be teaching in. It's a way of communicating, learning, researching, writing, creating, and even teaching. Technology has so many uses and everyday more advantages become accessible to us. As with anything, advantages come with disadvantages. I agree and think it's important that we first need to assess our situations and where we stand with technology in order to use it appropriately in our classrooms and to be able to understand the relationships our students have with technology too.

          The three communication technologies/concepts I chose were text messaging, internet access from my laptop, and my 3DS. These technologies have helped me in many ways but also if you're not too careful you’ll start to abuse them. I like text messaging for the convenience factor. If I need to tell or ask someone something - instead of calling I can send a simple text for a quick response. People are pretty efficient when it comes to respond to a text versus a phone call too. Texting does eliminate the human contact though. Texting is also like another language in which the meaning of something can be lost in translation, or misinterpreted.

          Next I chose the internet, on my laptop, which has helped me in multiple ways but has been more of a negative impact when it comes to social networking. To me there is a fine line between the advantages and disadvantages of social networking. I understand it’s a way of keeping in touch with family and friends from all over the world, but at the same time people use it beyond just that. People practically live their lives through their Facebook or twitter and it’s almost infectious. I enjoy an online class where work is done through a blog because it’s the convenience factor again and it’s using technology to its advantage. A chunk of the users on Facebook, twitter and such are abusing these technologies (as in they have no control and are in a sense addicted to them). I believe technology has advanced our world in many important ways, but I still believe in human contact and social experiences (especially in the world of education and art!!) There is obviously much good to the internet through a laptop such as portability and accessibility to information from anywhere with a connection.

          Lastly the final device I chose was a 3DS (for those who don't know it’s just an advanced version of Nintendo’s Gameboy). It doesn't have too many advantages when it comes to learning. I mainly use it for games and it does have internet access. Even though I don’t have a Facebook I can use it to communicate with other users and in the same sense as Facebook because it does keep me connected to a 'cult' of 3DS users. These three technologies have their downfalls but they have also mainly helped entertain and educate me, while keeping me connected to the world.

          After assessing your individual situation, you come to a better understanding of how your technologies mediate your life for better and for worse. After understanding the role technology plays in your own life, it's important to be able to assess and understand the role of technology in your students’ lives.

          Olivia’s relationship with technology is important for me as a teacher to know about so I can use it in my lessons appropriately. It’s important to know where each student stands when it comes to technology. In the video clip the first teacher asked who had access to a computer and I saw the majority of students not raising their hands and looking around. That should be the first question a teacher asks so you now see that it might be a struggle for some students to get on a computer when they’re not provided for them. Even if all students have access, you can’t just assume they know how to use a computer.

          Just like me, the kids in the second video, Learning to Change, Changing to Learn, most mentioned the convenience factor. Reading and writing can now be done simultaneously. Any notes you take while reading off an online book can be edited (not erased and rewritten) into a report format. The creating, editing, making, and recording of music and art can also be done on the computer with the right software. Olivia and the other students in both videos enjoy these technologies and have become attached to them. As a teacher you need to be able to keep a student engaged, and one strategy is incorporating these technologies they like into their education. Kids have unlimited knowledge at their fingertips and they clearly took it into their own hands to learn these programs and self-teach themselves about topics they want to know. I know I self-educated myself when I was younger if something sounded interesting. HTML coding, music editing, all sorts of art programs, sign language, anything I was interested in I looked it up on the internet and downloaded it. These kids are using their technologies to do the same exact thing. In all cases Olivia, the other students, and I are all using these devices to entertain, educate and socialize. With this knowledge, as a teacher, I can combine the way we all use technologies into an educational setting to increase the want to learn. Technology can make anything fun…