Weekly Report and Reflection Week #3

This week I had the opportunity to explore the use of technology within mathematics. In general, technology is becoming more widely used within the education system in a large variety of ways and subjects. More schools are investing in smart boards, which give teachers more options on teaching styles and methods. I have even seen schools implement students' cell phones into the class by having them text their answers to a certain number which reads and displays the results. The reason for this is that many educators have decided that it is easier to use cell phones to their advantage than to work so hard to keep them out of the classroom. The technology that I used this week in school was a graphing calculator as well as a device which measures the distance an object is away. By using these together I was able to plot on the calculator a graph which displays distance over time. We were given time in class to experiment with this technology and attempt to recreate preset graphs which were given to us. This use of technology was effective because it helped direct the class without strenuous effort from the teacher and kept us on task, as well as engaged.

In general, I think that technology is an amazing resource that all educators should consider. Using it correctly can create an engaging and fun classroom. This is particularly useful in mathematics, considering how often times it can be difficult to make a math classroom engaging. That being said, often times technology can have the opposite effect within a classroom. If not used correctly, students can take advantage of the manipulative you are using and get off topic. Some examples of this happening are students using their phones for games or texting instead of work, or using the graphing calculators to draw pictures. This is why its important for teachers to account for these possibilities and take appropriate precautions. This includes tactics like banning internet or specific websites from students access, or even checking regularly to make sure that students are on task and using their technology appropriately.

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As a future educator, I hope that I can accomplish this goal of implementing technology into my classroom. Just as well, I have to be prepared to run a classroom without the use of technology. Even though this resource can be very useful, technology can also be expensive. Due to this, many schools and educational settings cannot afford devices such as computers or smart boards. Since I do not know which school I will be working in or where it will be, I cannot always expect to have this resource available to me. Even without technology, there are other ways of engaging a classroom and teaching them the curriculum effectively. In the end, I must understand how to use technology and utilize it in a classroom, but be prepared to not have it at all.