Lessons Learned

After typing this entire post and loosing it due to a bad connection, the post on technology this time around may be a little more negative (don't ask me what happened to the autosave feature) So once again I will try to convey some of the things that I learned from this assignment. One thing that was very interesting to me, that was demonstrated in the video titled "Milenial Generation" is that kids have some very big ideas when it comes to how technology is used. We seem to live in a world where ideas become reality, so I am interested to see what the future will hold. Another thing this video reminded me of is the technological gap that exists between parents and adults. While I feel I am currently on the younger end of that gap, I am aware that I will need to make an effort to remain there. Relating to this topic, One thing I found to be interesting was the concern dealing with the negative effects of the 3 w's. While I always thought that wherever, whatever, whenever was a positive thing, I was shown that it can have detrimental consequences if kids are left with the mentality that they should have things they want right now with little effort on their part. The w's can be kept in check with the 3 r's; real, rich and relevant. Teachers play a big role in assuring that these r's are put into play in the learning process, because ignoring technology is not the answer, but there are ways that educators can assure that it is used correctly.
Another thing that was brought to my attention is the way technology has a way of making things that have been around forever obsalete. An example of this found in the video is the yearbook. Yearbooks are becoming less popular due to things like social networking sites. It makes sense if you think about it. Why would someone want to pay money for some pictures and a few signitures or messages when they could get all this, and much more for free. This Idea makes me wonder what other time tested objects or methods may become obselete in my lifetime. This makes me want to stay on top of the technology wave, especially as a teacher, so I am not left wondering what happened when familiar things are gone.