"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." -Elbert Hubbard

TECHNOLOGY. 

Where do I even begin with this topic? There is SO much to comment on. 

Lets start with this... I consider myself to be a pretty 'techy' person. I'll admit I am attached to my phone and probably use my laptop at least 5 hours a day. 

(Granted most of those 5 hours are spent lesson planning ;) )

Technology does have its major pros and cons, especially in terms of education. It is actually funny this topic came up this week. Just this past weekend I had a conversation with my grandma about how technology impacts students. My grandma volunteers at a museum and sees her fair share of students come in and out for field trips. She told me a story involving a couple interesting situations. The first story was about a group of parents on a field with students who were constantly on their phones while the field trip was happening. 

As a future teacher this is SO frustrating to hear about. Field trips are a pain in a half to get approved and to plan as a teacher. Between the agenda, transportation, permission slips, funding, lunches, locations, etc. this is not an easy job to thrown onto someone who is already spending their free time planning for the next day or week. Field trips may seem like a small excursion for the students but I can guarantee the teacher planning this 'small excurison' would not feel the same way. The least students, chaperones, and other teachers can do while on these field trips is to be on their best behavior. Parents. Put down the technology. 

1. You are setting a poor example for your children about how to behave on field trips. 

2. You are not doing your job as a chaperon if you are on your phone instead of watching the children. 

3. Teachers love and appreciate any support and involvement they can get from parents! Parents who want to read to the class, plan a holiday party, work a school wide event, buy extra folders, or chaperon a field trip are taking an extra special interest in being apart of the classroom and their child's learning experience.  A teacher will never turn away any parents who wants to be involved. So cut out the phone and be helpful! It wouldn't hurt to do a little learning on this field trip along with your child! 

As a future teacher I know I will be making an extra special effort with the parents of the students in my classroom to be connected and involved in their students academic life as much as I can. I want to have regular communication with parents as much as I can and have them truly be apart of the learning experience that school year. 

ANYWAY

Technology, technology, technology. 

Another instance my grandma told me about was that a group of students came into the museum with iPads. These students did not need directions or instruction from anyone who works in the museum because her and the other docents were told that the students "knew what they were supposed to do on their iPads." 

Hello 21st century learners!

My immediate thoughts to that situation... 

Awesome! Letting students have the options to explore on an iPad, that's really great! Technology is pretty incredible for giving students so many experiences they cannot have inside the four walls of their classroom. With all the Apple and Google applications that exist for iPads and Chrome Books the world of education has exploded with technology. Teachers now have SMARTBoards instead of chalk board and white boards. Doc cameras replaced overheads. 

As a tech savy young adult, I am personally very pleased with what technology can offer me and my classroom of future students. I'll be able to show them things and give them experiences that can only be brought to life through technology. Why wouldn't I want to take advantage of that?

'take advantage of that' is the key phrase I just used. 

That is the fine line that teachers need to watch. Technology should not replace the authenticity of a teacher. These options cannot be the excuse for short cuts beings taken in education for the teachers OR the students. Doesn't a real book still have some special effect on the reading experience? I wouldn't know anymore... I own a kindle. 

I believe that technology should and has the ability to enhance a typical lesson. Another key idea, 'enhance the lesson'. (I.e. the lesson already exists in it's ready to teach form, technology gives it an extra edge). I firmly believe that technology cannot replace what a teacher can do for students. A piece of technology cannot genuinely deliver information, it cannot truly interact with its users, it cannot monitory your progress taking in all aspects of the individual. 

It's kind of scary to see how many things in life are being replaced by technology. Jobs have been replaced by technology. We do seem to be heading in a direction in which schooling might be done a lot more often online, especially for college courses. I really hope teachers never need to deal with losing jobs over technology. 

 With all this being said, technology is great for schools. Students are not only having new experiences but they are truly learning how to interact within the technology filled world we live in today. We would be doing our students a huge disservice to deny them of technology. We want our students to learn, grow, and become the best people they can be in this world. Technology is apart of the growing up experience today. We know technology will be apart of our classrooms. It is something we as future educators will need to learn how to balance along with everything we seem to be juggling. 

I am a future teacher who has an iPhone, iPad, iPod Classic, iPod shuffle,Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Kindle, and MacBook Pro. Yes, I am pretty addicted to all of my little pieces of technology. But I am also a future teacher who promises to not let these things run me, my teaching, or my classroom. 

Technology will help me become a better teacher for my students. It will not replace my skills and talent and passions. 

"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." -Elbert Hubbard

This quote reminds me of students. Students that I will teach someday. I want my students to be thinkers, dreamers, and learners. Is someone who is fully dependent on technology any of that? Can my students really be extraordinary if I let technology run my classroom? 

Technology is just one piece to the learning puzzle... a really big piece at that.