Week 12- Assignment #2

Reading all the information assigned to us this week basically established a fact that I’ve already been aware of and believed in. For students to become successful in today's day and age, they have to be taught the skills that will allow them to do so. Being that everything today revolves around the use of technology, it is imperative for students to become proficient with information and communication technology (ICT) that will inevitably be used as they prepare for their future jobs and positions in society. As the article so aptly stated, ”New information and communication technologies also make possible new instructional practices.” With this fact in mind, we cannot rely solely on the traditional practices of old and need to accept the changes to the face of the world of literacy instruction and train and work on professional development in the areas of new literacies and technology integration in the classroom.  

Technological tools I would like to learn more about and would want to integrate in my classroom are tools such as blogging platforms, electronic whiteboards, or tablets. There are tools that play into the concept of digital storytelling, another technology I would like to integrate in my classroom. Digital storytelling tools, such as Storybird.com, provide a great platform for students to express creativity and utilize technology skills as well. There are many educational apps available that also help with targeting specific students and differentiating instruction as students can play individualized games on their own computers or tablets. The concept of collaborative learning via social media has both great pros, as a fun and engaging way or students to learn together, and cons, regarding security and privacy concerns. Edublogs is one example of a collaborative publishing and communications environment that is a bit more locked down than public platforms, like Twitter and Facebook, and therefore may be a bit easier for concerned administrators and parents to accept.