I believe that one day technology is going to be an amazingly major part of our life (near this point now). Because of this, there is a great amount of need for technology literacy learning. I definitely think it is as important as a teacher's content area. Technology not only enhances learning for the students, but it also enhances teaching for the teacher. I can't imagine a teacher who doesn't implement technology into their classroom. That has to be a boring and stone age era type class. Technology competency is very important, and high emphasis is needed. If not, we will all fall behind. I can't express the importance of technology in the classroom. It is a well needed tool.
Chapter 2: Question 3- You have learned about a variety of technologies useful to support learning in this chapter. With which one of these are you most comfortable? Which are most useful in helping to prepare 21st century learners? Describe the technology and its potential applications in the grade level or content area you wish to teach and demonstrate why it is most appealing to you.
Currently I am most comfortable with communication technology such as social media sites, etc. I know a lot about social media tools; in fact, most teenagers have advanced knowledge about social media. I use social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, and Pinterest everyday. All of those social media tools can definitely be used in the classroom. Communication technology would be great for the grade level that I will teach as most students already know how to operate social media websites. They are very familiar with it, therefore decreasing the amount of time required to train students on its' usage. I remember in undergrad we would use Facebook groups to discuss and share classroom information. It was a closed group and only students in that course could get accepted in. My professor knew that it was the best way to get communication to us because majority of us are on Facebook 90% of the day.
Chapter 3: Any Question- Instructional planning is a skill every educator at every grade level must master. To integrate technology into instruction, a logical, sequential approach is needed to help teachers to clarify which technologies are most useful and at what points they should be included in the process. Discuss Design-Plan-Act (DPA) system – what it is, how the three distinct planning components of DFA differ, and why it is helpful to use a system approach to integrate technology?
Design-Plan-Act is a system used to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of teaching plans. First you have to design your instruction. In this part, the teacher implements any tools and resources needed to satisfy the needs of that particular group of students. It is important to know that each plan will not necessarily work with each group of students; or even each individual student. Next, the teacher will communicate the specific lesson plans. Lastly, and a very important step is developing and implementing an instructional action plan.