Teaching+With+Technology+Week+2

=﻿ Week 2 =

Team Wiki
[|__http://21stcenturyedutechnology.wikispaces.com__]

This week, MJ, my team leader, add the other pages to our google site. The team has been collaborating on the Google Site and Google Doc. Before we were all able to comment and edit the Google Site and Google Doc we were communicating through email. In part of the posting, the team members shared their teaching experience. We have decided to go with Middle School for our project focusing on ELA.

Readings
When I was reading this week's readings, I kept wondering about more recent reports. So, I started researching. I found one report I thought was interesting. It is called Teachers Report Educational Benefits of Frequent Technology Use. The article referenced Educators, Technology and 21st Century Skills: Dispelling Five Myths. The five myths were: "Teachers who are newer to the profession and teachers who have greater access to technology are more likely to use technology frequently for instruction than other teachers, Only high-achieving students benefit from using technology, Given that students today are comfortable with technology, teachers' use of technology is less important to student learning, Teachers and administrators have shared understandings about classroom technology use and 21st century skills, and Teachers feel well prepared by their initial teacher preparation programs to effectively incorporate technology into classroom instruction and to foster 21st century skills."

The report stated that both veteran and new teachers use technology in the classroom about the same. Newer teachers have a tendencies to use technology more in their personal lives. It also reported that all students benefit from technology.

My conclusion is yes technology can help make classrooms more fun. It can also help retain the student's attention. If the students are able to use the technology to create project, higher level thinking is involved. No matter how much technology is available to the students, good teaching is still required. Teachers should have the support to incorporate technology into the classroom. Just having the equipment is not enough. It still boils down to engaging the students to learn.

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Grunwald and Associates. (2010). Educators, technology and 21st century skills: Dispelling five myths. Retrieved from Walden University, Richard W. Riley College of Education website: from [|http://www.waldenu.edu/Degree-Programs/Masters/36427.htm]