My Beliefs

I have to admit that before I started instructional media this semester, I thought technology would be a minimal part of my class. Sure, I thought I would use a computer to enter student's grades and maybe show a few movie clips in class, but I never realized how much of an advantage technology can be for student learning. I now realize how important it is to teach kids in a way that is modern and enjoyable. Plus, there are many resources and tools available online to help my students succeed in school. I hope to be able to help my students locate and utilize those resources in order to be computer literate. After I watched the “Millennial Generation” video, I could not believe the kinds of things kids want and expect from technology these days. They expect to be able to have technology with them all the time. As an educator, I believe that is unhealthy behavior, but if that is what kids want, they will probably get it and I want to help those kids be safe and use the internet for good activity.

The video “Shift Happens” really made me think about how much technology exists in our world and how crucial it is that we are knowledgeable about its uses. To think that the Internet reached an audience of 50 million people in just four years boggles my mind, but it is reality and we need to teach our students how to keep up with the quick transformations our world takes. I discovered through reading the Nets Standards and taking the UNI survey that my knowledge about computers and technology probably is not quite where it should be, but that is why I am in this instructional media class. I have already learned a ton and am enjoying all the fascinating ways to utilize technology. Hopefully by the end of the course, I will have the ability to teach my students to do the same.