Chapter 1: Rethinking Education Reflection

·         How does this reading impact your thinking about technology’s role in teaching and learning?

·         What will you do differently as a future teacher as a direct result of this new thinking?

                I found the first chapter of Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology very informative. I thought the individual’s stories at the beginning of the chapter showed how technology played a significant role in each person’s future. The reading made me think about how we all have traditional views about how a classroom is run. We all seem to picture a teacher standing in front of a group of students talking and writing on a board. We need to expand our views concerning how teachers are supposed to teach to how effective a method is. I had never realized we are going through the “Knowledge Revolution,” where new technology is being developed at a fast rate. When the authors mention how students are “more and more likely” to learn more after high school because of computers, which is true. Online classes are most of the time less expensive than classes taught in person. Having the opportunity to take courses on a computer allows people to take classes even if they have a job because they get to learn on their time. 

                As a future teacher I will do my best to try and rethink methods of teaching and how I can help my students learn in the best way possible. There are so many learning opportunities that can be driven by technology that previously would have been inaccessible. The sentence “Technology makes life more difficult for teachers” rings true but I think that technology also makes many things easier on teachers as well. Teachers have a much easier line of communication with their student’s parents via email. Prior to computers parents would have to call in to get a hold of the teacher and keep calling back if they didn’t get a hold of him/her but now email is much more convenient for both parties.  Another example is that teachers are provided with many programs to help with lessons, grading, and attendance which is easier to access at home using a computer than having to carrying everything home where something could be forgotten.  There is no excuse for not incorporating technology in some form into a classroom because it is beneficial to students in a world where technology is vital for their future.