Digital technology in the classroom has come a long way since I attended school. Today's children are exposed to so many different types of new technologies that can help enrich their learning. There once was a time, that when a classroom got a computer, it was a big deal. That is not so anymore. A computer is a standard piece of equipment for just about every classroom you enter. My four year old daughter's preschool even has a simple computer for them to work on! This chapter helped me to see that there are a wide variety of digital tools that can be used to enhance learning. I was amazed to read about the electronic white boards and graphic tablets that are available for classrooms. I didn't even know that these devices existed until I did the reading for this week.
My own personal use of digital tools has pretty limited. Aside from using the computer for various tasks, I really only have used a digital camera to take pictures of science experiments, which were then used as visual aids in a Powerpoint presentation. I felt that this provided a great way to present my work to other members of the class. Other than that, I have not really used any of the other tools that were listed in the chapter.
I totally agree about students being exposed to many types of technology. I think its even more amazing that the adults in the children's lives are being exposed to the technology often with them. I think that the media does a good job in informing the general public overall as to what's new. However, I feel that we all need some hands on experiences with technology in order to fully understand it's capabilities. Hopefully, as we as teachers and future teachers have these opportunities, it will in turn help our students!
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