Defining technology seems like a simple enough request. That is until you start thinking about it. Technology is great but only when it is working properly, as Karen Gideon stated. Others quickly chimed in with many stories of technological malfunctions they had experienced. Unfortunately, when technology fails, many people feel that they have failed. And even more tragic, their interaction with technology is also stinted. Many posts dealt with happy memories of utilizing technology in a really cool way. I was intrigued with “Deep Freeze” that Carolyn Petite referred to as an answer to viruses and other malfunctions due to students misusing the computer. I did not know that this technology existed and would be interested in researching similar solutions when I get into my own library.
The students of the 21st century are quite clearly a very technology driven group of children. I have learned that I do not know everything. Students can read through a teacher trying to act like they know what is going on; when they actually have no clue. I prefer to draw on students’ knowledge and pair that with the situation of trying to integrate technology effectively into a classroom or library. Students get a kick out of helping their teacher… and quite honestly, I get a kick out of their enthusiasm to help a Digital Immigrant! I was also touched when I watched the video that Paula Wagner gave us a link to view. The video addressed the funding of low-income schools in their quest to integrate technology. In conclusion, I have learned that technology is only as good as the people using it, and is only valuable if it is available to students and teachers. We are all trying to swim through this tidal wave. By throwing each other a life line, we’ll all make it out with success.
Our discussions posts were a wonderful wave of responses into and out of the digital world. Many of us posted our memories before technology became such an important part of our daily lives. I appreciate that there is so much information and avenues for education in the field of technology. My suggestion for this post would be to polarize different lessons with and without technology. Using technology for the sake of using technology is not the answer and after participating in this post, I have a better understanding of how others view successful technology integration into the classroom and the school.
