Chapter Fourteen

Even though I thought that this chapter was kind of repeating a lot of what the other chapters had to say about using technology in the classroom, I thought there were a lot of good points in it.  I think that a lot of students really feel like teachers don't understand all of the technology outside of school that they use for more than just social reasons.  A lot of students use technology to read and write and it is a lot more detailed than teachers think.  I really want my students to feel like they can express themselves through their writing any way they want to.  I think that if they want to use blogs that I can read that is great.  I was surprised when the student in the chapter said, "I don't learn about blogs from teachers.  They don't know they exist, or they think about what the media tells them" (215).  I agree with this statement and I think it could really be changed.  I really like the setup of this class for example.  I think that using the blog is a great way for anyone to express their feelings through writing and I really want to incorporate this into my own classroom one day.  Another idea that was in this chapter had to do with literature circles and podcasting, which I think is a really good idea.  So many language arts classrooms already use lit circles (I had them last semester) and it is easy to incorporate with any age group.  Adding the idea of recording the circles to make podcasts is a really cool idea.  So many students are always plugged into their ipods and listening to things, that it would be really convenient to help them study.  I like that it becomes "the students place to think, to play, and to push" (220).  Using technology to get students more involved in the classroom is really important because the teacher has to do it well.  That is one thing the chapter mentioned that I am worried about.  I feel like I have never been that good at technology, but I really want to keep myself up to date with all of the changes in the technological world so I can be current for my students.  I don't want to only know powerpoint and word because then the students feel like they can't connect with you.