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Using Technology to Expand Students' Horizons

 

We are lucky to live in a world where knowledge is just a few keystrokes away.  Whenever I am curious about something the answer can be easily found with a quick google search. I can learn a new skill by watching a video or research a topic without ever opening a book. I can  earn a master’s degree without ever setting a foot on my college campus.  As technology continues to advance it encourages people, myself included, to continue learning, even when their formal schooling is complete.  My time in the Master of Arts in

Education (MAED) program has shown me how important technology is to students in our modern

world and it has made me rethink how I use technology in my own fourth grade classroom.  

 

I work in a Title I school in a low socioeconomic area.  Many of my students have little experience

with technology outside of school.  Few of them have computers or internet access at home so it is

up to teachers to introduce them to these things.  My MAED courses have made me realize how my

students are at a severe disadvantage because they are not as technologically savvy as their peers

across the state and country.  When it is time for my students to enter the workforce it will be

expected that they can perform basic skills on a computer.  Even before that point, they will have to take standardized assessments on a computer.  But how will they be able to be successful at these tasks when they are only able to use a computer for twenty minutes each week?  In order to prepare my students for the future world they will be living in, it is important that I find ways to incorporate technology in my classroom.  

 

During the MAED program I have been exposed to a variety of technologies that I hope to bring into my own lessons. I want to experiment with a classroom blog to foster online conversations between my students, virtual field trips to show my students places they can only dream about visiting, and web conferencing with people who can inspire my students to pursue their dreams. Not only would the use of these technological resources be engaging for my students it would also help them be successful in many areas of their lives after they leave my class.

 

Even though I may be almost done with my classes at Michigan State, I will always be trying to learn more.  I have always been an avid fan of Pinterest, but recently I have been using it more often to help me plan interesting lessons for my students. I have also discovered many great blogs written by teachers who share ideas and tips that have inspired me to make changes in the way I teach.  I love how the abundance of technology makes it easy for teachers all over the country to collaborate with one another in order to better serve our students.  I hope to continue to have an online presence where I can learn from teachers in order to improve my own skills. Having so much information available at my fingertips makes it easy for me to experiment in my classroom to keep my students interested in what I am teaching.

 

Finally, a more personal goal is to learn more about the Teacher-Ranger-Teacher program offered by the National Park Service. I am very fond of our national park system and am disappointed that many of my students will not be able to experience the beauty and wonder of our country’s many national parks.  It

may seem like technology and the National Park Service do not go together.  But as I have researched the Teacher-Ranger-Teacher program I have learned about how I can bring national parks into my classroom through the use of technology. Students can go on virtual trips and interact with park rangers who are

many states away. Through technology I will be able to share one of my passions with my students in a

way that would not have been possible only a few years ago.

 

Technology is capable of taking people places, and I hope to use technology to expand my students’ horizons beyond our small town. Even though my time as a student is almost over I have no plans to ever stop learning. I will always be searching for new ways to better myself, and I will need to continue to learn in order to best meet the needs of my students in our ever-changing world.

Not-So-Junior Junior Ranger
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