How do I feel about technology... (Week #1 Post)

I am so excited to learn more about technology in the classroom and feel that it is important for teachers to understand. I've always been interested in technology. Probably due to the fact that both my parents have been working with technology before I was born and I've alwayss been surrounded by it. My favorite memory was building a computer with my 2nd grade class from spare parts with my dad and watching it start up. Children are continually getting more involved in technology and it is present in every aspect of their lives. Thus, as educators we must utilize all the components we can to be able to bring concepts to children in a format they can understand. It also allows educators to have access to more and more possibilities for enhancing lessons that were not available before. However, we need to be careful that we are using technology to enhance lessons and the learning of the students instead of just using the technology to use the technology.

I am very excited to learn more about the extent of what the activeboards can do. When I was leaving school they were just getting started and not many of my professors take advantage of them. Thus, this is probably the aspect I least understand that is available to me in the classroom. I am also excited to see some of the new innovations that are coming up in integrating technology into the classroom. Such as, what is being done with tablets and notebooks to enhance the students learning.

I haven't had the most direct path to teaching as a career. However, I have always loved working with children and found myself working in a preschool teaching the 3's-4's class during my year off from school. I have found that my passions lie with teaching children and seeing the "light bulb" go off when they finally understand a concept instead of pediatric nursing.