Week 8 Reflection

I have a difficult time facing the fact that the children that I am currently teaching will be the future of our society. I think this is due to the fact that they seem so young and naïve with regards to societal issues that face the world today. However, when looking at the abilities of these children with regards to technology, it is no wonder that they hold the future. My students, made up of a diverse population of students ranging in socioeconomic statuses, all have an intense desire to use technology in addition to a strong knowledge base of how to use various technologies both inside of and outside of the classroom setting. Thus, it seems that with the integration of technology and content areas, students can be engaged and enthusiastic about their learning.
“Preparing Disadvantaged Youth for the Workforce of Tomorrow” is an article that focuses on the use of technology with disadvantaged students and how it can positively impact their futures. According to this article, the use of the Internet is increasing across all socioeconomic categories and families with children and more than likely to own computers. This increase in technology use in the home setting has contributed to the awareness that young children have with how to use technology and the endless possibilities that are available when learning with technology. In my classroom, my students are able to use the internet to find new games and information that they find to be interesting. Though these students have not received direct instruction with using computers, they are able to effectively find new websites and programs that they find to be interesting. The article states, “Not only do they [youth] comprise the next generation of workers and citizens, but they are uniquely able to make use of technology” (p.20). Their creativity with technology provides students with the opportunity to be creative in the classroom setting. I feel that if teachers give students the chance to use technology in the classroom setting, their creativity and knowledge with technology can shine through. It is important to give students guidelines for a project, but the opportunity to be creative with the use of such technology is extremely important and good for the self esteem and success of students.
Of key importance to technology use in the classroom is teacher training with it. The authors state, “Among the key challenges [to advancing the agenda of e-inclusion]: creating partnerships, encouraging training and integrating with existing youth development programs” (p. 22). It is imperative that both teachers and students receive the proper training with using new technologies so that is can be used appropriately. The proper balance between training and allowing for creativity is difficult to maintain, however. I find myself in a struggle with how much leeway I give my students when using technology as far as their creativity goes. As I previously stated, students can be creative with technology use and should be able to express such creativity in the classroom. However, where do I draw that line? When teaching students from disadvantaged backgrounds, it is important to set standards for technology use and make sure that students are both appropriate yet creative simultaneously.
Striking a balance between allowing for creativity while maintaining standards and boundaries with technology use is difficult. It is my hope that with proper training with the use of technology, teachers can help students to become efficient users of it. This would mean that teachers are able to teach students how to use technological tools in the classroom appropriately, while letting the creativity of all students shine through. By maintaining a balance, disadvantaged use can take full advantage of the positive effects that technology has to offer and apply such benefits to their career fields in their futures.

Annotations

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) (2009). Retrieved from: http://www.ccsso.org/
This is a website about the non-profit organization, CCSSO, made up of public officers from around the country who head elementary and secondary education in the United States. The website has a list of available projects for teachers to read about. Also, there are many articles about the CCSSO in the news. I think the goal of the organization is great, but the website is a bit difficult to navigate.

Foreign Policy Association (2009). Retrieved from: http://www.fpa.org/
This non-profit organization tries to educate American citizens about world issues that affect the lives of everyone. The site focuses on secondary and college level topics and themes and provides blogs, videos, articles, and various updates about world issues such as Human Rights, Cuba, Global Food Crisis, and many others. This site seems very useful in a higher education classroom.

SPICE (Stanford Program On International And Cross-Cultural Education). Retrieved from the Stanford University website: http://spice.stanford.edu/docs/about_spice/
This a program sponsored by Stanford University that provides resources for teachers in K-14 schools that focus on international themes across all discipline areas. Teachers can purchase different curriculum materials or take advantage of free videos and information about various international topics on the website. Videos and other resources are available with a focus on many different age levels.