Rethink: Chapter 9

Throughout reading this book, the bottom line is there is a shift in where learning is taking place. My eyes are confidently open to the ways in which we can use technology both in and outside the classroom to promote and sustain a learning environment. There were some things in this chapter that I read that I don't necessarily agree with. I understand that children are going to play video games and that the right ones can promote deeper learning and I think parents should all at least try to be actively interested in their child's interests. But I don't think that instead of reading a book, you should go play video games with your child. I'm not saying that you can't do that, I think that's great. But I don't advocate doing something like playing a video game in replacement of reading with your child. And I know everyone has their own individual interests, but I don't think students, especially young ones, are going to go and network with people from all around the world about dinosaurs and create these amazing MUVEs. I don't know. Maybe they can and I'm just skeptical about it since I've never seen anything like that done before, but it just seems a little crazy to me.

I feel that as a future educator, I just need to keep my eyes open to what works best for my students. Learning is not longer black and white... There's a lot of gray area. I feel that the best way to serve my students is to just be open to what they really need. Times are changing, and if you can't get the job done, a school will find someone who will. In my future classroom, I hope to find a unique balance between both technology and the regular school. With the school system changing, we need to be ready for it. Taking a class like this shows me all the different ways that I can connect my students to a network outside of our classroom. Information like this can truly benefit all educators as it keeps them up to date with what to do. I'm not saying that every single time a new technology comes out that it must immediately be up and running in your class, but it really helps to be aware with what our students are using and how to relate to them.