Technology Autobiography

I was one of the students who entered college without an email address, a myspace account, or any desire for either. This is not to imply that I had an aversion to technology; I just saw the computer as a means to play games, a place to type papers, a new version of a perfectly fine working library card catalogue, or a way get questionable information when all else fails. Entering college, I saw technology as interesting and fun, but not necessary. I was used to having a television, a phone, and a computer that stayed off for days on end. We also used technology a lot on my father’s farm, using tools that made growing tobacco and raising cows easier. In short, my technology at that time was not necessarily comparable to my fellow classmates, but I recognized it as cool and possibly valuable.

However, Centre College was an undergraduate institution that, like most, relied on technology as a means of communication. As soon as I entered my dorm as a bright eyed freshman, I was given my email account address and instructed to create a password. I soon grew to love email, both as a means to communicate and procrastinate.

Throughout college and in the years following, I discovered how incredibly useful technology can be. I learned to use computers to access reputable information via the internet (an important bit of information for writing papers after the library had closed). I soon began to use computers for other things: purchasing goods, downloading for entertainment, creating an online blog, communicating with teachers and fellow classmates via blackboard, and editing movies. I found software and programs that made it easier to write plays, balance my checkbook, and do my taxes. In short, I became a technology junky. Now not only do I have an email account, I have several. I also have an IPod, a couple of blogging accounts, a facebook account, a digital camera, a digital video camera, a laptop computer, and other bits of technology. I now wonder how I survived life without these things.

In the classroom, I have used technology in a variety of ways. I have used programs like Imovie, Moviemaker, and Powerpoint to present new information via movies that I have made with images, music, and information gathered from the internet. I have used overhead projectors and digital projectors to share information with my students. I also use email to communicate with students and their parents concerning upcoming assignments, grades, and more. Furthermore, I have attempted to instruct my kids on how to access trustworthy information via the internet. My students have typed several papers for my classroom. Several of my students have learned how to use Moviemaker and/or powerpoint in order to create digital story for projects we did in my 7^th grade Language Arts class. Shelby East Middle School, my school, also started podcasting on a regular basis this year. Many of my students were involved in this venture.

As you can probably tell, I think technology is a valuable part of today’s modern classroom. I think, when properly used, technology can propel our students to think about and work with information in new and exciting ways. It can be used to supplement lessons, to allow kids to find out more. Technology through the use of various programs can also offer a way for students to demonstrate and apply knowledge through projects. I do think learning can occur without technology, but that would be kind of like owning a class set of textbooks but never using them. Technology is a resource that can add to what teachers already do in their classrooms, and in most classrooms today technology is available.

I am by no means an expert in technology. In many instances, my kids know more than I do. I have had to ask my own students technology related questions from time to time. I also have struggled with technology. For example I currently have my music saved on Itunes, but I generally use Moviemaker to make movies. I’ve had to learn to circumvent the two systems incompatibility by copying music off my Itunes onto a disk only to download it back into my computer in a Microsoft compatible music file. From these types of problems, I have learned to be flexible when it comes to technology. We also have to share technology at our school, and that has been a challenge. I know there are a lot of really cool things I could be doing out there that I haven’t been exposed to. I’m also excited to learn more in this class and the following years. It is my hope that this new information will find its way back to my classroom.