Blog #3

What?
This week we have been learning about google sites and how to create them. At the moment, our assignment is to create a google site geared towards our students and possible their parents.

So what?
Well, for one..... learning how to create a website is very useful to me. For one, as a teacher, I could create a website for my classes in the future. Which could come in very handy with music. Any student or parent could look to the website for a number of things like: The Band Handbook, Concert Dates, Competition Dates, Homework, Important Announcements, etc.

I feel that this is an important tool for myself to learn, as well as my colleagues. As we refer to the video that was assigned for this week, our students are digital learners. Just about every student has access to a computer where they check email, etc. If you put this website at their finger tips, they can look to it for any information that they need.

Now what?
This technology, I feel that it means a great deal to my future students. If I continue to learn about technology, I can be a better educator for my students. Though I feel that it is not enough to just learn about it, I must learn how to implement it into my classroom for it to be effective. I feel that you need to meet your students half way and show them that you care about them. You don't want to put them to sleep with aged teaching methods, you want to get them engaged in the lesson and wanting to come back for more.

Video Reflection:
Pay Attention

This video gave me some insight as to why, we take an Instructional Media class as part of our training to become educators. The world is and has been evolving into a more technologically based society. Think about it, technology is all around us! If you notice, children these days are much more advanced technologically than many adults. Kids, are teaching their parents how to use computers. The quote in the video said, "These teens were born into a digital world where they expect to be able to create, consume, remix, and share material with each other." It's not just that this is what they want, it is also what our society wants. In our time and age, to be able to get a good job and provide for one's self and their family, many jobs require that you have some type of technological knowledge. If this is what is expected of our students, then why not teach our students in a technological manner? Our students are said to be digital learners, if this is so, then we need to become digital educators. Engage the students and get them excited to wake up for school and learn. Let's teach them tools that they will be able to use in their lives, not just to graduate from high school. Yes, I believe that books are important, but so is technology. You can still teach the students that books and reading them are just as important as technology, integrate them and educate them. Educate the students to become successful in all aspects of their lives.