Rethinking Education (ch3) Reflection

I just finished reading the technology skeptics argument in Rethinking education and came across some things that made sense and some things that I felt were a stretch.  This chapter talked about how in the past new technology never made its way into schools like technology enthusiasts thought it would because many thought it would hinder learning instead of enhance it.  An example was used that discussed how when new educational programs came out on television, teachers were reluctant to use them because they didn’t want to change the way they taught.  The media at this time agreed with the teachers saying that television programs battled with learning for the minds of students.  I can see how many would believe this, especially now when students would much rather be playing video games or be on facebook talking to their friends.  The book also talked about how many teachers are afraid that if they use new technology they will no longer be teachers, but facilitators in the classroom.  They will no longer be passing on their knowledge and expertise on a subject, instead they are making sure their students are able to find the information they need on the internet or on another computer program that may be offered.  I can understand how teachers would feel this way, but I don’t think that we need to use technology in every single aspect of school.  Teachers can use technology to enhance their lectures, make them more interesting for students so they stay focused and learn more.  When technology is used appropriately, I think it is a huge advantage because it gives students different ways to learn the same information.  Not all students learn well from a lecture, some students learn better from reading textbooks or from visual forms of learning.  Incorporating technology into the way you teach is an easy way to include different teaching strategies so all your students can benefit, not just the ones who learn well from lectures.  As a future teacher, I want to incorporate technology into my classroom and going through this class has introduced me to many different ways I can do that.  At this time I haven’t quite figured out how to use the new technology that is out there, but I feel that by the end of the semester I will have acquired many new ideas on how and what to use.  So far I like the idea of using a wiki to post all assignments that are due and worksheets I have handed out.  This way they are all in one area and if a student loses one they can just go online and print off a copy.  I also like the idea of introducing students to blogs.  I think it would be really cool, but am not quite sure how to implement it into a middle school or high school science class.  Could be a good topic to do my technology inquiry on!