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Computers have become an important resource for education in recent years as they have become more widely used. Computers are so important in education because the modern workplace revolves around them. No matter what business you enter, computer knowledge is necessary. Computers dominate every industry because they are efficient for storing and sharing data and they are universal, all industries use them, making communication with anyone in the business world possible. If the point of education is to prepare students for the working world, education would not be complete if it left out an element of the workplace as pivotal as the computer. Common Core is a national classroom standard in public education that sets requirements in technology education for all students. Common Core is used to create an even playing field for students graduating from public education and entering the workplace. I agree with the common core standards for technology education because it is such a new aspect of education and it is so easily overlooked by teachers accustomed to traditional educational standards and I do think it's important for students to learn computer skills. We live in an age where being oblivious to computer tech is really not acceptable.

Having used Edmodo in the past, I definitely think I would try to integrate that into my classroom. It is very efficient for sharing homework, submitting assignments, posting likes to resources, and creating a virtual classroom setting for students to communicate across. It works a lot like social media, but it eliminates many distractions that tag along with teachers who use websites such as twitter or Facebook for educational purposes as it is strictly educational. In my classroom, I would post notes online before my lectures so students could follow along on their computers while I spoke and could take interactive notes on the downloaded power points. I believe group work, though challenging, is necessary to teach students how to interact with each other and cooperate in the workplace. I would tailor group work assignments to be computer based so students could work together in class and at home through file sharing to increase productivity. In this class, I hope to learn HOW to tailor my lesson plans to incorporate these technological aspects.

I both agree and disagree with the definition of the term digital natives. I do believe there are digital natives, or people who have grown up accustomed to technology with a somewhat innate understanding of technology, however, I do not think the term "digital native" is based solely on generation. Digital natives are also defined by environment. A child growing up in the third world with no access to technology is not a digital native, even if they were born in the digital age. In my experience, my "digital immigrant" teachers have varied in computer literacy levels. Some teachers I have had have clearly not taken the time to get used to technology and it is very noticeable. Other teachers I have had who have been digital immigrants have had computer skills that far surpass my understanding of computers. It all depends on the amount of concern the individual has actually put into figuring out technology. Often, my digital immigrant teachers have been even more capable than me because they are willing to do research and read directions, whereas I expect some sort of innate understanding, which can often limit my actual understanding. I anticipate that in the future, the tables will be turned and I will be considered an immigrant of new technology among students as technology continues to evolve and change. The "next new thing" will probably be way over my head, which will give me the opportunity to either be surpassed by technology or it will give me the opportunity to rise above and adapt through research and reading.

My Twitter Username: @skheme2040

Blog Post 0

In the past I have used technology for many things. As a teenager in the 21st century, it can almost be assumed that you are involved in one or more social media site. I am on Instagram, twitter, and Facebook. I use these sites to share my daily life with others and connect with friends. In high school, I was required to know how to use PowerPoint, Word, and Excel for various assignments and presentations. Most of my classes required online submissions of assignments via Edmodo so I was required to know how to navigate and use it. I often used the internet for research papers, sourcing various articles uploaded to the internet to support theories. I am now a member of a collaborative blog called The Reckless Collective that documents the lives of nine friends and their respective lives as they move all across the country, yet maintain their bond. It is meant to provide advice and encouragement to younger girls. Since joining the blog, I have had to become familiar with website design as we look toward publishing the blog as its own site. 

I hope to learn various skills that will help me in my future career. My intention as of now is to be a professor one day and as a future educator I will need all of these skills to be effective. I really hope to brush up my Excel skills because I've gotten rusty. I often struggle with organization and Excel is a great resource for organizing and calculating statistics, so it would be really great to leave this class feeling confident in Excel. 

Today, through the learning style assessment, I learned that I am very balance between active learning and reflective learning, I believe I need both to truly reach higher understanding. I am pretty strongly an intuitive learner, so lecture style classes cater to me well, but when it comes to facts and memorization, I need to take advantage of office hours to ask professors about theory so I can spark an interest in the subject. I lean more towards verbal learning and auditory learning, but I still love graphs and pictures and find them very helpful. I also learned that i am a global learner most of the time rather than a sequential learner, meaning I really need to seek out and establish a big picture before I look into details if I want to best understand a problem or concept. Overall, these results were helpful on my first day of college and give me advice as to how I should move forward and tackle learning throughout my college career in order to do my very best.

Learning Style Assessment Results