Rethink: Chapter 7

I felt like this chapter was another chapter that was just tying everything together that we've been reading about. It really told you what can be lost and gained by the use of technology both within and out of the educational sphere. One of the points that struck a chord with me was that because of all this educational technology, there will be less competition with the schools. I just don't believe this to be true. There will always be something to divide people from one another. I'm not saying this is right or how it should be, just simply stating how things are. There will always be people who are more wealthy than others, who will always be able to afford the next, up and coming form of technology to assist their child to be the very best. Middle to lower class families can't always afford the newest of everything. But I feel that not having access to technology doesn't mean that you can't be as educated, if not more educated, than those who have all of these resources available at their fingertips.

As a future teacher, I'm well aware the impact and role technology plays in students lives... I'm living it right now. But I want to make sure that I do my very best to make sure all of my students learn to their fullest potential, with or without technology. This is not to say that I won't have my students do countless projects within my classroom that incorporate all the benefits of technology, but I don't think I'll be expecting my students to work outside of the school with these types of tools. My mom is a teacher back at home and she told me that a little less than half of the students are on the reduced/free lunch program. If parents aren't able to afford lunch for their children, I certainly won't expect them to afford owning a computer. I feel that as educators, we need to be increasingly aware of our surroundings, and that depending on where we work, incorporating technology can be an easy and common occurrence or something far and few. We need to recognize the confines we are working with and work within them. All students deserve a great education, regardless of what their parents can afford, and it's up to us to give it to them.