Blog Post 4

I struggled in the beginning with remembering to use Twitter. I am not traditionally someone who likes to use social media, but I realize that it is something is most likely not going away any time soon so I need to adjust. After using it for this class, I have communicated with other classmates and have seen what others have had to say just by retweeting things and looking at others who retweeted the same things profile. Talking to other students has been very helpful in reminding me things we learned in class. In a career I think social media like twitter will be very helpful to keep in touch with others and to get opinions on ideas, without having to go through an official forum.

I think the digital divide is a very large contributor to a students success in school. When students are expected to utilize technology in the classroom but have never had an experience with it before, they will be behind those who have grow up with technology in their house. There are many factors that lead to the digital divide. The most obvious one would be income. If a family does not make enough money, they are unable to afford to buy a computer or pay for internet connection. Another factor would be their location. If the family lives in a rural area, they may not have access to internet in their area. I think as a teacher, it is crucial to keep in mind the digital divide. You cannot expect everyone to have access to technology at all times so offering two different options of homework where one uses technology and the other is completely possible without technology. You cannot limit children from an education just because they do not have access to internet.

I am the kind of person that looks at technology is a privilege, not something that is a given. With this being said, I would like to use software that is fun, as well as educational. I would utilize games like funbrain and coolmathgames because they are fun but they also are very helpful. I remember playing them while I was in school and I always would get so excited as well as try really hard because I wanted the teacher to continue to take us to the computer lab. I especially remember this in 2nd grade because we always used it for math, and we had another website that worked on typing and gaining muscle memory of where the keys were. Both were really helpful and very stimulating.