In today’s class, I observed the creative ways my peers chose to represent the many perspectives of technology in the classroom. Each group described what their presentation topics were about in a group forum. As I saw the varying topics appear, I became very curious about how they would execute their projects, what technology they would use, and how each person would contribute. Each group had many weeks to begin brainstorming the way they would choose to execute their projects. Throughout the semester, each of our Tuesday classes have contributed to most everyone’s inquiry for their projects. We have had various presentations, lessons, and guest speakers come in to talk about the many aspects of technology. There is so much good that comes from technological resources in the classroom, but there are also a lot of controversial aspects of technology’s presence. Within each of the presentations, the groups each did an amazing job of touching on both the good and bad to show their listeners ways that we can accommodate to make technology manageable.
Due to the influx of technology in all aspects of human life in our modern day, the introduction of it in the classroom sense can face many challenges. There is extreme concern for students when it comes to obsessive screentime, lack of self-control with technology, inappropriate use of technology, and accessibility. Each presentation touched on one or more of these topics to educate all students, teachers, and guardians on ways we can accommodate these concerns or modify the ways we integrate technology. Each of these presentations was very informative for me. I was provided resources, perspectives, and ideas of how I can effectively use technology in a classroom sense. It was also brought to my attention some of the ways I myself can make technology use healthier for me as an individual. Self-awareness and self-control are both very important characteristics of being a technology user, which I now feel that I am more cognizant of.
My group’s presentation focused on the topic of equity and inclusion in the classroom utilizing technology. This is a very significant topic that is very effective for all individuals involved in education. The individuals that apply could be any student, teacher, educator, or a guardian of a student. The importance of this topic is that we not only discuss how to involve technology in classrooms but also how we manage technology responsibly, ways it can prove to be effective, and how we can make the more ineffective parts of technology access manageable. Technology can support so many individuals in the classroom, such as students who suffer from hearing or visual impairments, language barriers, students who have learning needs or disabilities, teachers who need extra support, and so much more. The support of technology is a topic that is becoming very big in the education world. With our project, we chose to create a resource that teachers can use to understand the varying ways they can use technology and how to manage it. We provided links, resources, and different technological devices that would be effective for users. What we hope comes of this resource is a simplified approach for teachers to gain this knowledge without having to search for it themselves with such busy schedules.
In conclusion, as technology grows, we as individuals and learners need to learn how to grow with it. Technology is manageable if we learn how to use it appropriately. These presentations were a great way to learn about the present day of technology and how it can be used.
Below, I have linked our website for anyone to check out!
