Lessons Learned

The videos, readings, and websites, offered information on many different types of technology and the effect on students and teachers. One of the articles brought up the point that there is a disconnect between students writing for school and writing for fun. Also, some students do not count e-mails, text messages, and other electronic writing as actual writing. There are also students who do not notice the use of computer effecting their writing, but those that oppose say they like using computers and are more apt to edit their work when using one. It is something I thought about and can not imagine not using a computer for writing. I believe that in my class, most students will use a computer to write. I also think that though many students do not count electronic writing as actual writing, it can help in their writing by getting practice, but on the opposite side, it can hurt it as well because of the slang that is used. In the video, Millennial Generation, Microsoft interviews students about what they want. They want media mobility. The youth today are often seen with their cell phones constantly or with their iPods. They also are playing video games or watching T.V. They want all of this in one. Students understand technology and want it to be everywhere they are. Therefore, if media was in the classroom, maybe students would not feel the need to always be texting on their phones.

This brings me into the next reading about electronic shorthand. I found it interesting that the author said the basic slang, like LOL, is already old or out of style, which parallels great with actual technology. It is always changing and new and improves styles are being created. In the video, Shift Happens, it said that the top 10 jobs in demand in 2010 did not exist in 2004, and that many students are being trained for jobs today that do not yet exist. That is something that is hard for me to grasp. But I do understand the significance of it. The importance of technology and the relevance is huge and will only increase with time. The Net standards and the UNI surveys has allowed me to see where I stand in the technology realm and what I need improvement on. This has been a helpful resource in telling me what I need to work on in order to translate the information to my students. It is very important information and perhaps if I teach it to them, they will do better on the Net standards and UNI survey than I did.