Week 2:

It's officially winter so i'm not mourning the loss of these week nights at home as much as i would during the summertime :)

I am, however, learning about some interesting contraversies in regards to technology integration in schools.

For example: Lisa Nielsen of The Innovative Educator,  posts alot about bringing the use of technology to life outside the school setting as a tool for homescoolers and those frustrated from the structure that the education system sets for us. In her comments she often steers the reader to step outside the walls of  'school' as we know it and to find ways to connect with our students through whatever means best suited for them. 

On the other hand, Nielsen concedes in her post "When Tech Teaches, What do Teachers Do?" that when speaking of todays classrooms, the technologically oriented ones are better at putting the student in the center as the individualistic methods of todays' education would aspire to, than those who dont integrate at all.

We see this through aspects in the class, such as:

• Relationships - when technology provides lectures and feedback, teachers have more time to get to know their students interests and weeknesess.
• Guidence - all students want and need guidence. teachers can do that if they are not matirial oriented.
• Tutoring - when the whole class is using technology, struggling students can get the suport they need to norrow the gap in matirial understanding.
• Cheerleading - digitally, teachers are far more able to notice students' complishments and give them support where needed.
• Digital literacy - teachers using technology can help students use it safely.

Edudemic's Leah Levy published also speaks highly of integration in her 2014 article on the "10 Ways iPads Teach Kids with Learning Disabilities". Here she lists some of the ways that iPads can help compartmentalise among children who have trouble doing so on their own, and are benificial theraputicly do to the childs abillity to control apps and information.

I think having digital access at hands reach in not only helpful for the learning disabled anymore. All students want to succeed and need the information to do so and we can direct, guide and steer as well as simply having the knowledge of our field. When used properly, technology should definitly be a blessing rather than a crutch.

 I strongly recommend Lisa Nielsen's article at the top. It gave me alot to think about regarding our role as educators of any era.

The key words being: Integration and inclusion... as always :)

Tal Berlinger