Reflection One (1) : The role of Technology in Education

The first technology class was quite an interesting one. The class started with us listing every item we considered as technology  that were in our bags. After,we were then asked to write our definition of technology. I knew that technology helps to reduce workload, thus assisting in the effective and efficient accomplishment of tasks. Despite the definition I wrote  ,I was more focused on modern technology and completely ignored old technology.  However, after discussing our answers with the lecturer, I learnt immediately  that there  are two sub categories of technology : 1) MODERN and 2) OLD. I also learnt that technology is all around us both old and new. Isn't that fascinating ?

 After, the class was divided in two for the purpose of a debate. One half discussed the  pros and the other the cons of technology usage in the classroom. I learnt that  some of the disadvantages of using technology are 1)cyber bullying (ethics in online behavior), 2) it  interferes with grammar due to the over usage of abbreviated words and 3) distraction . In contrast I learnt that the pros outweigh the cons because technology 1) enhances critical thinking ,2) promotes creativity through the creation of magazines, blogs etc, 3) makes learning more interesting through videos and audios , 4) offers unlimited information via the internet to students for research purposes  and 5) offers more sophisticated possibilities such as games and apps. I still have not exhausted all of the advantages of this tool, but the five mentioned stood out the most to me.

Additionally,  we explored google forms which is a form of   technology  that  can be used as an assessment tool.These forms allow for  both open ended and close ended questions. This is a brilliant tool to use to conduct online surveys.They can also be used to quiz students outside of the physical classroom and can equally be used as an evaluation strategy for teachers, in getting students feedback about the subject, teaching methods and lessons.We got the opportunity to create one of the forms in class.

See a sample of the form that was created here

 I still would like to know how exactly I can incorporate technology into my lesson plans, while catering to the different learning styles and needs of my students.