Journal 5: February 10th, 2022

My Experiences with Twitter

    Until this course, I haven't ever used Twitter. I know many people love it and often use it to connect with other people who share the same interests, but I also know a lot of discourse takes place there. However, I've tailored my Twitter feed for this class to be mostly educational resources that will help me in my career, with a few entertaining accounts thrown in just for fun. Twitter may be helpful to me in my future career because it will allow me to connect with other teachers who are in other parts of the world and share resources, ideas, and just have camaraderie due to our shared experiences in the field. 

The Digital Divide

    The digital divide is something that is becoming more and more prevalent as an educational issue due to the increased use of technology in and out of the classroom. Students who are affected by this divide are often significantly disadvantaged when compared to students who have resources available to them. One of the main causes of this, that I personally have seen, is location. If someone lives in a very rural area, it can be difficult or nearly impossible to get good internet as well as the devices to complete assignments on, depending on the student's socioeconomic status. As a classroom teacher, it is important to never assume that all your students are the same or come from the same background. I think to address the digital divide in my future classroom, I would give out a survey in the first days of class in order to know who may need assistance with getting technology for class. I also think that schools and school systems should be able to provide students with technology to use, such as computer labs or laptops. During lockdown in 2020, my school system was able to lend every student a Chromebook laptop to use for online work. This is not possible for all systems due to funding, and that is an issue that must be addressed at the legislative level. By doing so, we could begin a sort of domino effect that could in turn help to close the gap created by the digital divide. 

Software Tools in the Classroom

    As a future educator, I think that I will implement review games/testing software and a class page/class chat. As a student, I have used review games such as Kahoot, Quizziz, and Quizlet Live in order to test myself and compete with other students. I think these types of software are very helpful, but should be used sparingly. I had a teacher my senior year who made us play a Quizziz game every morning twice in a row! These games are great for reviewing for tests or for days when the students may need a break. You can also use them as a way to assess what your students know, and change up your teaching style accordingly. I also think a class page is something that would be helpful in my future classroom. It would allow for a more collaborative atmosphere and would give the students an easy way to contact me and each other. I could also send out announcements or messages easily to students or parents. 

    Overall, classroom software is something that is becoming more and more necessary with the increase of technology. As a future teacher, it's also something that I should be well-versed in so that I can be a better educator for my students. 

Make it Up Tech-Flex Task

For tech-flex task 9, I made a fake tweet between King George III and Thomas Jefferson. Hopefully y'all enjoy a little American history humor!