Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum? The Reasons Are Many:

http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction

Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?  The Reasons Are Many:

       This article states why technology is such a valuable resource within our classrooms.  One specific reason being that we need to prepare our students for this fast paced technological world that we are living in.  If we as teachers and schools are behind the technological trends, then our students will be as well.  
       The article goes on to compare the past; where the only technology that students were receiving was a computer class outside of our classroom.  The sad part about this is that in many places this is not the past at all, this is the only technology some students see throughout the day.  Through technology the article states that we as teaches need to use it as a way of deepening and enhancing the learning process.
       One important factor into integrating technology into all curriculum areas is to meet what this article calls the "Four Key Components"; active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts.  New goals do not need to be made, technology can be integrated to assist us as educators to meet those already existing goals.
       The article later states that by giving our students the opportunity to do technological -enabled projects not only intellectually challenges them but also gives them a view of the modern office.  Throughout the use of technology we allow our students to acquire, process and synthesize information that they discover.  
       Finally, the article states that technology changes the way that we as teachers, teach.  With technology as a resources we are able to reach the multi-intelligences that we have within our classrooms.
        I agree with this article, it is a great reminder about why technology is so important within our classrooms everyday.  I believe I integrate technology within my classroom, but this article helps me to see that I could be doing so much more.  That there are some areas where I can make changes and integrate technology even more.

Teachers Use Technology in Classroom Control -- Sara Heine

http://suite101.com/article/teachers-use-technology-in-classroom-control-a157739

I chose this article because with the little time I’ve given students to use technology independently when I was teaching 7^th grade math I always noticed the enjoyment that students had along side with the minimal problems I faced with behavior. The problem that I always dealt with was the multitude of questions students had because they had very little exposure to technology.

            One thing that has continually been popping into my head as I go through the projects for this class is how could my 6^th grade students use this tool? One of the best ways I can see my students use a lot of the websites I’ve been introduced to, Photo Stories, and Blogs, is through the writing curriculum that I will be attempting to tackle. This article mentions how many students don’t like to write, but opening thing up to a form of writing that uses technology many times doesn’t seem like writing at all! VoiceThreads, Bookemon, and Classtools, Prezi are all great websites I could use to help kids with their writing and forms of presentation. Blogs would be a great way to just get kids to write and well as a good way of editing other student’s blogs. This article makes you realize the huge impact technology can have on students behavior and excitements about learning.

            The author of this article brings up the point that when students are able to create and publish they work that much harder on their project because they know that others will be looking at it. I know this to be true because when I was student teaching, friends and family came in for a readers theatre and all the kids works so hard because they knew someone, other than the teaching, would be critiquing their work.

Technology to Replace Teachers?

       This article talked about a recent discussion in Pennsylvania about the increased role that technology plays in the classroom. Teachers discussed how during just the past decade technology has started to change the way in which teachers and students interact, as well as the expectations being put on teachers for immediate feedback. Debra Hill from Argosy University stated  “If you don’t believe me, just check your Facebook page and Twitter feed. These dramatic changes are causing us as individual professionals to rethink the way we learn, teach and lead.". As a new teacher I can very much relate to what was meant by this statement. Many, if not nearly all students in school today have grown up with technology; and not just grown up with it, but been bombarded by it. To believe that as a teacher one can simply go up in front of a classroom and lecture for 45 minutes is unrealistic. Students have different expectations than they did even five years ago, they are use to googling a question and knowing the answer in a matter of seconds. Teachers have to be willing to recognize this fact, and understand that technology plays a major role in their students every day lives,. Rather than try to fight the use of technology in the classroom teachers should embrace it with open arms. As this article mentioned there are many programs available that allow teachers to track students reading, writing, math, and science scores from semester to semester. With today's high stakes testing, using these programs to zero in and target areas where students are struggling to perform are beneficial not only to the student, but also to the teacher and the school district. Though these programs are a great tool for teachers, they are also a bit of a double edged sword. I say this because the state and federal government are able to view these same tests scores using similar programs, but rather than looking solely at students scores the government is looking more intently at teachers and schools who are performing well, or not so well, which ultimately translates to higher or lower funding and even job security in some cases. This can be a great benefit or very detrimental to not only schools and teachers, but ultimately students who this affects the most.
       This article also discussed the idea of technology possibly replacing teachers someday. Bruce Taylor said “Look at the amount of technology on the exhibit floor... education software is in its primitive state. Think of where it’s going to go in 10 years. It will be IBM’s Watson and Apple’s Siri and the iPad combined.”. Taylor went on to say “This will allow you to focus on things that make them (students) human and not flesh-and-blood hard drives,” he said. “There will be less dependence on rote answers and more emphasis on the application of content and a greater focus on interpretation and analysis.”. I couldn't agree more with this observation. I think that Mr. Taylor is spot on with his remarks; technology will change the dynamics of the classroom and learning experience, but will never replace a living, breathing teacher. I believe that teachers need to be willing and ready to adapt to this change because it is going to happen and is happening right now. I can't imagine what technology will be available for me to use at the end of my teaching career, but I can't imagine myself not embracing it and using it to its fullest potential either. 


http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/03/27/technology-moving-teachers-from-front-to-center-of-the-classroom.aspx