Rethinking Education Chapter 3

In the reading this week, it really opened my eyes to the controversy of technology.  I have always known that technology was controversy to some extent, but I never really thought about some of the things that were brought up in this chapter.  I feel that technology in the classroom is a very controversial topic.  I believe that technology can be a huge part of learning and is important (to a certain extent) to integrate it in with what you are teaching because society is changing and as educators we need to adapt to that change.  This article did bring up things such as time management and cost.  These were things that I had not necessarily considered when thinking about technology in the classroom.  Cost I believe is a huge thing, because most of technology can be quite expensive and if your school district is not willing to pay for it, how will you get the money? Are you expected to pay for it out of your own pocket? Another thing that I have been thinking about that is related to this topic is how do we know when we are using either too much or not enough technology? Right now I am also in an Environmental Education class and in that class we talk a lot about the necessity of getting kids outside and connected with the environment.  One of my professors in that class has even said, that students are becoming too attached or dependent on technology, and they don’t know how to use their natural resources.  I find myself very confused at times with these two ways of thinking, because I agree with both sides to some extent.  I understand the need of teaching technology to our youth today but I also agree with the statement that kids need to spend more time outdoors. 

          So thinking about how this affects me as a future teacher, I am not exactly sure how I plan to deal with this issue, but I do know that I want to find that fine line of having enough technology in my classroom, but not having too much.  I want to teach my students about technology and have them feel comfortable with it, but I also want to teach them the importance of our environment and the need for us to spend time outdoors.  So somehow between now and when I actually become a teacher, I will have to find away to teach the right amount of technology to my students  without having them become addicted to it (spending all their time using only technology) but instead having them find a good balance of working with and without it.  Because the last thing I want to do is create a world where my students are dependent on technology.