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= Technology: A Useful Tool for Both Students and Teachers=

I have always loved technology. Although I didn't "grow up" in the computer age, I did take special classes in High School when "Word Processing" was still a new concept. I remember that class as being one of my favorites. Technology has come a long way since the days of simple word processors (basically computers used for typing only), and I still love it. Technology keeps us connected, assists us in our daily lives, and definitely makes teaching (mainly, finding resources) a lot easier.

I am both a student of technology and a teacher of technology. I use technology in my college classes as well as with my students in the classes I teach. Technology has helped me as a student in many ways. One way is finding information and resources and, of course, it helps immensely with typing notes in class and writing papers. I try to use technology in the classes I teach as much as possible. My students do not have a lot of experience using technology, so they are always excited to learn new programs such as Voice Thread, Animoto, or PhotoStory3.

I feel that all students should have access to computers and other technology in the classroom. We live in a technological world and our students need to learn to use the tools available to them in order to be successful in such a world. Many teachers are wary of learning new technology. However, as teachers, we need to keep up-to-date on the programs and technological devices available in order to teach our students how to use them.

Just look at the video below...and you will see why teaching our students how to use available technology is so important. media type="custom" key="8920376"

= **TED TALK RESPONSES:**=


 * Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? **

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Wow! What a great speech. I completely agree that education is killing creativity. How many times do we hear about schools doing away with their music program? I have always been a big proponent of the arts in school. For my own children, I required them to take at least a year of music, and it turns out that both of them continued for a few years. Music and the arts helps us think creatively. It helps us synthesize both hemispheres of the brain. Why then does education feel that those programs are expendable? I try to encourage my students to think creatively, but it seems that even by middle school, students have lost this ability. It's very sad.


 * Arthur Benjamin's formula for changing math education **

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I agree that our world has changed. It IS a digital world. Unfortunately, education has NOT changed much. We need to think about what is needed on a day-to-day basis and educate our students in those areas. For example, I work in Special Education and I have student's who cannot add or subtract proficiently, yet they are required to learn the Pythagorean Theorem. Really, when do any of us use the Pythagorean Theorem in our daily lives? I feel that these students must be proficient in these basic math skills before we expect them to "learn the curriculum". Unfortunately, this is the way the education system works, but maybe we new teachers can change that.


 * Richard Baraniuk: Goodbye, textbooks; hello, open-source learning **

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I liked this video and his ideas about "sharing knowledge." The idea of textbooks on the web and everyone having access to them is a great idea in that those who wouldn't normally have access to certain knowledge (the "shutouts), would now have that access. It seems kind of like a type of Wikipedia. As a college student, having access to textbooks and textbook-type materials online would be a great resource. Actual textbooks are so expensive and really shouldn't be. Using this model, everyone who has access to a computer would have access to all of this shared knowledge. Isn't today's technology amazing?


 * Sugata Mitra: Experiments in Self Teaching **

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The results of Mr. Mitra's experiments are amazing! I know that when I teach my students new technology and programs, they can figure out a lot about it when I just show them a few basics and let them "play" with it. I did just that with my students last week, using PowerPoint and Animoto programs. I showed them the basics for about 10 minutes and then they played with it, not worrying about making mistakes or doing the "wrong" thing. It was wonderful how comfortable they became with the programs and when it was time to create their actual projects for class, they turned out great! I was very happy with this style of teaching and will do it again and again.