Kate Wampler's Chapter One Reflections

After reading Chapter one I found myself overwhelmed by the information I was presented about the concept of technology and the terms associated with it. I always thought of technology as a concept defined by computers, blogs, email, i-pods and fancy cell phones. To find out that technology simply refers to human inventions and devices that improve the quality of life was very interesting. Never again will I take advantage or look at a pen or pencil the same way after reading Professor Chavez's discussion on classroom technologies throughout history. Not only did this chapter change how I thought about the meaning of technology, but it informed me of the history and transformation of technology as well. Although I was aware that memory sizes and processor speeds were much bigger and faster than they are now, I had no idea that the memory size in computers were described in different terms than they are now in the 1980's and 1990's. Reading about the transformation of technology throughout our recent history brought up feelings of excitement about the future of technology itself. I found Lee Shulman's, introduction of PCK (pedagogical content knowledge) for teaching technology to be helpful in developing ideas of how I would be part of transforming technology as a classroom teacher. Intersecting the three domains of knowledge (subject matter content, teaching and learning) are crucial for me to teach technology effectively; I plan to use this knowledge to integrate technology into the various multidisciplinary units I teach.

In addition to the multitude of information I received through reading Chapter one of Guiding Learning with Technology, I found creative, new ways to integrate technology into my kindergarten curriculum. In the Classroom 1.1, I found several lesson plans designed for Grades 3-5 that I can manipulate into developmentally appropriate kindergarten lessons. I plan to teach my students in their weekly computer lab visit how to use Kidspiration to re-tell stories we've read in class and communicate original stories they create. To connect technology to my Animals All Around unit, I plan to teach my students how to use a drawing application to draw animals they've studied and label their pictures. To connect technology to my math unit Creating Models, I plan to teach students how to use a drawing application to create a map from their home to school.

Although technology is very exciting and inspiring, I do have concerns as a teacher at the school I teach at. How can I learn about all the different, current technologies without the training provided to do so? How can I possibly provide my students with opportunities to explore the different technologies that exist, if there are not all the necessary resources and tools available?