Technology's Importance in the Classroom

      I think it is important to incorporate technology in the classroom. One reason is that the students are growing up with technology, and are therefore used to it and may even be expecting it. It adds another dimension to the learning process, especially with subjects that can use a little livening up.
     I can see how subjects like science can benefit from technology. It may be impossible to take your students out to space, but they can experience it by way of the internet on a Smartboard! This gives visual reinforcement that would be difficult any other way. The interactive capabilities are great for assessment, especially when it is fun, as in the games that are available. Another benefit for the educator is that learning becomes more engaging and interesting for the students--there is nothing worse than a sleepy, bored classroom!
    One challenge is to equip each classroom with the technology. The way budgets are being challenged and cut in school districts, it is difficult to add enough computers and Smartboards. The way technology has been, each new addition only is current for a couple of years. The computers and Smartboards also need to be maintained, as problems will come up. Also, with children involved, they get pretty hard use (I'm thinking of keyboards and especially headphones in computer labs).
     Another challenge is to keep administrators and teachers in the loop and up with the latest technology. This takes good communication between the two groups, and even adding school boards into the mix, there can be many differing opinions. The resistance that is felt may well lessen as time goes on, and as technology becomes more commonplace. Educators need to have the opportunity to learn new technologies for use in the classroom.
     I will take many lessons from this course. One is that I can still learn new things. Technology isn't so scary when there is familiarity. It isn't all difficult, either. Some programs really are user friendly! I appreciated the interactive whiteboard lessons the most, and hope that wherever I teach there is one available. I also enjoyed having the generational differences quantified so that I had better understanding of that issue by the end of the course. I hope to retain and keep using what I have learned!