Confessions of a Digital Dinosaur

I signed up for this course because I do not consider myself to be very tech savvy, and I would like to become more aware of ways to integrate technology into the curriculum. In my student teaching experiences I have seen Smartboards, computer labs, and projector screens used in elementary classrooms, but I have yet to view strong examples of what I would consider innovative use of such technology. Instead it always feels like teachers use the technology as an afterthought, trying to fit their new devices into previously designed lessons. In this sense, I think universal design for learning could be a useful way to approach the use of technology in the classroom. First and foremost we must consider our learning goals for students and then ask ourselves how to best achieve these goals using all the materials we have on hand, including new technologies. I would love to see examples of how teachers have used these technologies in their classrooms as a way to enhance the learning experience for all students.

In addition to learning about the use of technology with students, something that could aid my own professional development would be more training in the use of technological tools to assist in the creation of authentic teaching materials. Embarrassingly enough, I have labored on the computer for hours trying to figure out how to make my classroom schedule with different size time slots for each day. I have struggled to find an easy way to create lined paper on Word that does not become skewed when auto-correct kicks in. I don't know the first thing about creating a spreadsheet, but I am sure that is something that would help me track data about my students. I feel like somewhat of an old timer facing these issues, but in conversations with other teachers I know I am not the only one. We are taught how to help struggling readers, how to stimulate strong problem solving skills, and how to develop classroom community, but I would also love to be taught those seemingly simple things that would make the bookkeeping end of teaching easier.