Richardson chapter 1 and 2

While reading Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classroom, I really began to look at my own classroom.  As a third grade teacher, I struggle with the idea of a child having too much technology.  I feel as though sometimes these children are around technology way too much.  .  However, this is our future and I believe that I need to embrace this within my classroom and incorporate technology as much as I can.

            One thing that Richardson (2010) wrote that caught my eye was, “The National Technology Plan released in January of 2005 went as far as to admit that ‘today’s students, of almost any age, are far ahead of their teachers in computer literacy.  They prefer to access subject information on the Internet, where it is more abundant, more accessible, and more up to date’” (p. 7).  I must admit though, with-in my own district, unless I teach myself, there are not tons of classes on technology within the school.   However, I would say that I completely agree with Richardson’s comment that teachers don’t have the same level of education with technology like the children of today.  I am 27 and my third graders, at times, know more than me.  The reason is that since they were born, technology has ALWAYS been around them.  Would you consider this a good thing or a bad thing??  I have a huge issue with that.  Many students of today do not go outside and play, they go home after school and sit in front of some technological instrument.  I am not sure this is the best either.  However, I am a realist and I do realize that as educators we do need to incorporate the technology to help our students be prepared for the future.  I do, however, also believe that the technology does not need to be on in the classroom all the time.  Let’s get a good combination of using technology for these students and working on being able to sit and listen to a lecture or lesson and take notes, because whether we like it or not there will always be people (bosses, etc.) who are not fond of technology.  I feel there needs to be a nice balance of both.