Moving Mindset

Will Technology Work for me in 
Lower Grade Classrooms?

I think I would like to add more technology to the lower grade classrooms.  I feel that our digital native students need the technology to enable them to be better more well rounded students.  I am very willing to make this change.  I want to help my students have a more hands on approach to learning.

However, with doing this in the lower grades, I feel that as a teacher I will have to help them with their personal learning.  I do not think that students in the lower grades need to learn only from technology.  They need to have a balance of technology and hands on learning.  Having technology readily available for all students, will help the students that do not have access to technology at home.

Even though, I am very willing to add as much technology as possible into the lower grades, I am not sure that it will be easily possible, due to the fact that some students may not be ready for the technology.  I feel that it would be hard to allow the students to use much technology at the beginning on the Kindergarten year.  I would begin the kindergarten students off with learning technology safety.  I feel that teaching the students how to be safe and use the technology to benefit them, is very important.  

I worry about giving students to much technology time will effect their divergent thinking.  I want my students to continue to be creative and imaginative thinkers.  I feel it can be challenging to balance physical book time and technology time.

As the teacher, when using the technology in the classroom, I believe that I must be able to demonstrate and have a great understanding of  the best way to incorporate the technology and be competent in being able to explain how to use the technology.  I would chose to use the iNACOL standards.  Being that in the lower grades technology would just being introduced to the students, I would pick and choose which standards I would use.  I would want to be able to incorporate the iNACOL standards with the current state educational standards.

Resources
-Engaging digital Natives Video
-Before Bringing in New tools, You Must First Bring in New Thinking
      By:Mark Prensky
-http://www.onlineprogramhowto.org/teachers/role-of-teacher/
-http://fun2binfirst.blogspot.com/