Beginning of Semester Reflection

After only the second week of our Technology in Education class I feel as though I have been immersed into this whole new realm of education. I feel as though my eyes have been opened to a whole other culture, one that I definitely underestimated.
I grew up in a rural town with a school district that did not have the budget to get a hold of new and expensive resources. So basically I have never really had much exposure to technology beyond my facebook on my laptop. Blogging, the endless amount of search engines, and SMART boards are completely over my head at this point, but it has been fun to explore this new world of technology. Especially in looking at how technology is available to the education field, it is exciting to see how the possibilities for its usage are endless!
There is one main thing that I have come to realize in this past week, and I am finally being able to let go of my own personal bias. My view of the use of technology in schools has always been a little hesitant, mainly because I had such a positive and successful experience without it. I believe children still need to learn how to do things the "old fashion" way and not to rely on computers, phones, and ipods for entertainment. But just as Landon Carter from A Walk To Remember used basketball to teach a student geometry, we can use technology as a means to teach our students. As a teacher it is important for me to realize that technology is what my students enjoy, it is a language that they speak, a culture that they are a part of. So I need to take advantage of that and use technology as a way to reach out to my students. It is important for me to be able to understand what my students like and what works well for them, and in this generation and all those to come, technology is something that most students will work very well with.
I believe in creating the perfect balance between technology and the absence of technology in the classroom. I want it to be there to provide fun new ways for learning. I want it to be able to allow students to advance their research and to discover more. Technology should engage students. But at the same time I still want students to be able to think for themselves, to be able to appreciate activities using raw materials, and to be creative without the help of technology.
I think technology can play a big role in the classroom, but only if it helps further students in their education. It must not be a distraction or a hindrance.