Even though this chapter was a short one, it was also a very powerful one. This chapter really began to summarize everything we have read so far and it started to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. There was a quote in the first few paragraphs of this chapter that really stood out to me. This quote read “Even those of us who don’t embrace technology in our lives now must understand the possibilities of the new technologies from the inside, if we want to guide the future of education.” This quote was so important to me because as an educator that is what I want to do! I want to guide the future generations and the education they experience. This chapter also showed me how important it is not only to use technology in the schools, but it is equally important for parents to use technology at home. The chapter talked about how many parents view the technology that their children use as “problematic” or “distracting,” but these parents must use the technology for themselves before they can put such labels on things. I have also had experience with this in my own life. My years my mom criticized me on using texting and using Facebook, but that was before she experienced for herself. I taught her how easy it was to text someone for a quick answer or how she can use text messages to find something on Google and she was astounded! I also helped her create a Facebook account and showed her how I interact with people. She found friends on Facebook that she hadn’t talked to since high school! It gave my mom a better view into my life and why I use the technology that I use.
One thing I will do differently as a teacher as a direct result of this chapter is really concentrate on the communication I have with the guardians of the students in my class. I hope to have communication over a wiki or blog to truly show parents the benefits of these various technological tools. I will stress to parents how important it is to experience the technology that their children are using and to look for the benefits that these tools can provide. I will encourage them play video games, use text messaging, and create a Facebook account or a wiki or a blog so that they can experience what their children are experiencing. I know encouraging technology to parents can be a difficult thing, but I am taking that challenge to the test. I hope I can impact at least one family to start connecting through the technological tools that are provided for us in our day.
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