Technology in the Classroom

This past week in school our server was down and so we couldn't access the computer at all! It was a total nightmare and all of our lessons were planned around being able to use the Internet. We quickly had to make and switch over to a plan B. It made me realize how dependent we are on the technology and how easy it makes our lives! The students were in the middle of doing a research project on current events, and without the Internet they were virtually at a stand still. The students can't go to a encyclopedia to learn about a current event. It is great that students in today's classrooms know about the technology that is available to them and how to utilize it. In class we had a discussion about social studies and technology came up. One of the students suggested it was important for them to know about technology and how it benefits us because one day they will be responsible for creating new technology to aid future generations. I thought this was a profound thought from a 6th grader and it is great to see that they realize how much technology can impact society. Before the computers went down this week we had the chance to bring in the Mac lab and have all the students working on their own computer. Every single student in the classroom was engaged in the lesson and focused on what we were learning. The students were excited to be using the computers and it was amazing to me to see the difference in how focused they could be when they were given that technology to utilize. It made me realize how important it is to teach students using the tools that their generation likes to and are used to using.