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Welcome to my webpage where I will discuss educational technology for teaching and student learning. When educational technology is implemented correctly it can increase student involvement and engagement. Also, the teacher's implementation of technology during the teaching process is critical in its success. Use this webpage as a resource to information and ideas regarding the effective integration of technology into the classroom.
I have come to understand that technology motivates my students and I've seen that it improves their achievement outcomes. I believe that when technology is integrated purposefully it plays a more dynamic role to support student learning. It isn't the abundance of the implementation of educational technology in classroom that provides the best support to students but rather, the precision of its implementation. Technology should be incorporated in ways that it teaches specific skills that align to the lesson being taught in class. I'd like to highlight three aspects of technology usage on this page. Those three aspects will be equitable and ethical usage of technology, and social responsibility when using technology.
It is important for educators to ensure all students experience technology equitably. Technology that is not engaging or challenging as well as the digital divide are factors that prevent students from experiencing educational technology equitably. The digital divide can be bridged by ensuring all students have access to the same technology in class. Most students from high-poverty schools have much lower access to technology than students from low-poverty schools. English learner students are often given technology that is not engaging or challenging in an attempt to "catch up" to their peers. Whereas their peers are interacting with technology regarding their subject matter in their own language, making the technology more engaging, challenging and beneficial. Educators should ensure classrooms provide assistive technology to increase access to all students such as English learners and special education. An equitable use of technology engages English language learners in academic language acquisition as well as providing them with challenging learning experiences. It also provides special education students with main classroom integration by means of assistive technologies. To ensure you are implementing your technology in an equitable way, evaluate if your tech is accessible to a specific group of students, or if its accessible to all students.
In general, the internet is an unexplored field for many educators. The internet that educators grew up with is long gone as technology is constantly being developed. It is important for educators to understand how technology is evolving and how students can interact on with each other using it. It has been suggested that having rules or guidelines for students is best practice to ensure ethical usage of technology. Students can forget that their emails and posts on social media are not simply private personal diaries. This can lead to inappropriate messages and posts sent to other students or seen by a teacher. Teachers need to be proactive in creating an online culture that discourages cyberbullying. Creating clear boundaries for students and providing them with reasons why stated behavior is desired is best to ensure students understand what they can and cannot do while using technology related to school. The conversation about the guidelines or expectations should include a using copyrighted material, plagiarism, piracy, cyberbullying, snooping, and then the consequences of doing such things.
Technology can provide students with a platform for debate, collaboration, and influence on the world around them. While students are interacting with the others online to make change, it is important teachers equip them with the tools they will need to be respectful and shrewd. We as educators need to teach our students how to respond with kindness with those they are interacting with online. We also need to inform them there are dangers and things that are not as they seem on the internet. Let students know that private information should never be shared with people they do not know. If they are conducting research, they should have criteria of determining if a site is a reputable source of information. When students have developed a sense of social responsibility, they are able to identify where they can put their efforts to make change to the world around them on small and large scales. Teachers can develop social responsibility in students by giving students opportunities online to voice personal ideas and debate opposing viewpoints in respectful ways.