Dear friends,
As an educator, I have found technology to inspire
and actively engage students in learning while at the same time instilling in
them curiosity, inquiry, and a desire to learn. Technology is incorporated to
some degree on a daily basis in my classroom. While it has taken extra time for
me to become comfortable with integrating different technologies in the
classroom, the end result continues to be worth it.
When using technology my students are more enthusiastic
and actively involved in the learning process. My ultimate goal is to
make technology an integral part of every subject I teach. When teaching with
technology my lessons don't always go as planned, which at the time can be
discouraging. However, when things don't necessarily work, I encourage my
students to problem solve with me and in the process they end up learning more
than I had ever anticipated.
As educators, I think it is important for us to
overcome the idea of failure when our lessons with technology don't result in
our intended outcomes. Instead, as I am learning to realize, it is not
the end, but rather the means to an end, including the experiences and learning
obstacles along the way, that will ultimately teach children the necessary
skills to succeed in the digital world we now embrace.