An I-What?

I have not gotten into the I-craze so I do not use an iphone, ipod, ipad, etc. I do use a personal computer, daily. And I use a cell phone, just depends on the day how much or if at all. I use a cell phone for a clock and to communicate with my family and friends. I use a personal computer to accomplish homework, read the news, listen to music, journal, and browse the internet. I get online anywhere from 6-10 times a day for various reasons--listening to homework while playing with roommates; reading the news or emails; accomplishing homework via Canvas or the internet; stalking friends on facebook; reading books, textbooks, or blogs; finding new crafts on pinterest; etc. I don't watch a lot of TV, less than five hours a week. However, my roommates and I do watch a lot of movies--Disney is preferred. My phone is usually close by and I can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to all day having a text conversation with someone. I usually exchange text messages with family and a few close friends. I exchange emails with my dad, my professors, and various others (usually about work/applications). I read online newspapers because I like to keep somewhat current on the events in our state, nation, and world. I read online blogs for various reasons be it photography, craft ideas, cooking ideas, new teaching strategies/technologies, or keeping up with friends. I read books online only because Logan Public Library does not have the books I want to read and I need to read them. I read homework stuffs online because I have to and I read things on facebook or the web or pinterest because I am bored or I am trying to avoid reading my homework stuff. I have always felt strongly about using technology and digital texts in my classroom. Students today are very digital-savvy and know lots about using technology. Also, because of this and fast-paced lifestyle in which we live, many students have a hard time with brick and mortar, sit and listen to a lecture, do a worksheet types of classrooms. After looking at how often I use technology and digital texts in my own life, be it for personal use or school use, I spend a lot of time with technology. Students need to be allowed to do this in a classroom, with some direction, to benefit and enhance their learning. As a social studies teacher, I believe that it is important to be aware of the world around you. I will use online media sources to help my students understand what is going on in the world, how it affects them, and what historical contexts these world events are rooted in. I love youtube and find that it can be a great educational tool whether it be showing clips directly related to history, clips that try to make a point about something (even if not directly related to history but particular skills), or uploading their own videos for history. I love doing blogs, reading blogs, browsing websites, creating websites, and find that this type of technology will be important to students learning/showing and reflecting on what they have learned. Students are attached to their phones and love any moment they can use them. With history and civics, it is really easy to use student polls with cell phones to get them involved and excited. Facebook and other various forms of social media are also very popular. Students can interact with one another via classroom facebook pages, collaborating on wiki-assignments, or having class-blogs. When I was in school, I loved making my powerpoint presentations as crazy cool as I could, and now we have prezi that adds a whole new dimension. We will use all these texts in class and for students who have no experience or no access to these resources from home, we will work on them in class. Just like anything you expect students to do in school, in order for them to do it correctly, to do their best, and to succeed you need to scaffold what that looks like and in doing so, I, as the teacher, need to be familiar with how to use them and how to teach them. It also means staying up on the latest trends.