Reflections on BEDUC 566 thus far

What most moved me during our first class session last Thursday were the Youtube videos on technology. I am going to be an English Lit/Language Arts teacher and I still do not see clearly how I would use technology in my classroom. Everything still feels very abstract/intangible. I come from a era of whiteboards and overheads (the ones that are huge with lightbulbs). I have never owned my own computer, in fact my family only bought a computer after I moved out of the house in 99.

What I got from the Youtube videos is a sense that technology can be a tool to connect to my students. I have cousins who are teenagers right now. I can see that they are deeply connected via technology to their friends. I can learn to understand why they might feel closer to others using technology than I do.

The more I use technology (Facebook especially), the more I do get a sense of connection. I can easily check up on my friends. Sometimes I am too busy to call a friend, especially while I am at work. I can log on to Facebook while at work and simply send them a "hi" to let them know I am thinking of them. It is actually pretty neat.

Another idea that I got from our first class session was the idea that technology excites kids and gets them interested in engaging in learning. Not all people are passionate about reading Shakespeare and clapping out iambic pentameter. Perhaps I can somehow use technology to make assignments more exciting for my students.

So my question again is how can I do this? Also, what type of technology would be best? I am not a fan of powerpoint. I have rarely seen it used well. I am hoping that even though we have so few English students in our cohort we can still address how technology could be used along with literature studies. I am excited to start work on my portfolio as it seems to address my concerns (how do I use technology, what form of technology is best).

Thinking back to the teacher videos that we viewed during our orientation meeting... something like that could be very useful in an English classroom. Students could use that sort of media to present what they have gained from my teaching. This would give students a chance to show their creativity through technology.