Technology can be scary.
It changes rapidly, it never asks if its okay to change, and invites itself over for dinner all the time. Okay, fine maybe not so much the last part, but I'm sure many of us have felt that technology can be awfully rude as it changes with no regard of who can keep up.
In the world of public education (probably education in general), technology is still seen as a buzz word--it's a nice idea, but what teacher has the time?! Well, like anything worth doing in this world, it takes a bit of hard work up front and desire, but even more so educators need to understand what technology really is--a tool.
Technology can be used in the everyday classroom, even if you don't have state-of-the-art equipment. (Although, that helps tremendously!) The key is to recognize what your students need and what they want to learn. How do you figure this out? ASK them! Allow your students to be a part of the learning process; they'll appreciate it; I promise.
Blogs are a great place to start with reaching out to your students, their parents, and your community. Twitter, believe it or not, is a great source of finding out what is the newest and greatest in classroom tech and Web 2.0, and I am an unashamedly huge fan of Google and its many FREE products that allow you to interact. The next time your in your Gmail take the time to actually look at all those extras you never click on. Think Twitter is highly narcissistic like me? Well get over it and look around; you'll find there are actually a ton of great tweeters out there with real knowledge and expertise. Blogs freak you out? Understandable, but there is much they can offer you and your students: collaboration, debate, sharing, and expression to name a few.
Are you a student reading this? Then check this stuff out for yourself! There is a good chance these elements will be a big part of your future and you'll be using it in school, college and beyond.
Happy exploration!
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