Podcast

How to intergrate technology in the classroom...

I will integrate technology into my classroom by allowing my students to use technology on a regular basis. I will also use the smartboard a lot. The smartboard is very good for tactile activities. My area of teaching is intervention specialist and early childhood education. I think having active learning activities is key for both of these groups. The smartboard offers many options for tactile activities.
I will also use computers in the classroom and have students use them for writing activities. I will also allow the students to use the computer during our reading block for one of their activities. I will have different websites they can go to do reading activites.
I will use some podcasts from ITunesU in my classroom as well. There are some math study partner podcasts I found that would be helpful for students who need some extra help in this area.

The Use of Technology in Education

Technology is used in the classroom and educational settings a lot today. I think technology can be a valuable resource, but it also can be frustrating at times. Technology offers many resources and different approaches to teaching such as smart boards. Smart boards are found in almost every classroom these days and are a fun and interactive teaching tool. This is definitely a pro of technology. Another pro of technology is that it allows people to assess a lot of information from one source. A con of technology is that it is not always available to all people. Some students may not have a computer in their house and therefore may not be able to do assignments that require extensive use of technology.  Another con of technology is that it can be expensive so some schools as well as families may not have the money to pay for it.
My experience with technology has been okay. I haven't had extensive experience with technology because I went to a small private Christian high school that didn't have the funds to provide a lot of technological devices for us. We had computers, but that was it. I've learned more about technology since coming to college, but there's still so much to learn. In my experience technology can be frustrating at times, but it is a valuable resource if I know how to use it and it is working properly.
My expectations for this class is to learn more about technology and to discover more technological resources I can use currently and as a future educator.