Blog Post #4

The use of twitter in this course has been a really fun experience. It really makes the class interact with each other while also letting us have an enjoyable platform to socialize on. Twitter has let me get to know my fellow classmates which is a change since in other classes I would stay to myself and not interact as much. The classmates I have interacted most with on twitter are Robert "Chip" Nettina and Will Anderson. Through twitter we expressed are feeling about the class, topics discussed in the class, and the tools taught in the class. We also discovered we share the same taste in music and humor. Twitter has been most beneficial when it comes to keeping up with class lesson and checking in on others when it comes to in-class assignments. I think is a great tool for education and I intend on having it as a major part of my future class environment. When it would come to using twitter in the classroom, I think I would utilize by using the app to answer any questions about classwork assignment and use it to update the students on any last minute changes to assignments.

The digital divide in education is really underestimated. It can actually have a major affect on a students educational success. Students that find themselves on the less educated side of the digital divide are likely to have more trouble in academics in today's school because of the overwhelming use of technology in education. It's not all the students fault that they have a disadvantage when it come to technology. Most of these students come from urban and rural homes where there parents are working class citizens that don't have the same financial advantages as others. Experience digital divide would most likely happen if I was in a urban or rural education setting like a small town or big city. If I experienced a situation involving digital divide, I would approach in a way that benefits both sides. What I would do to benefit both sides is offer those who are digital disadvantaged a series of exercise to advance there skills in technology while give those who are digital advanced exercises that help them practice and challenge there skills. I would make sure that this is all done before the class advanced to anymore digital assignments.

With the education field I intend to teach, High School History, the educational tech tools I would use most would be simulations, educational games, and typing/presentation tools. It may seem strange that I use some of these tools but there's a good reason for it. Though it might seem out of place to use simulations and education games in high school, I feel like high school is one of the best places to use it because in the modern world today, most students grow up in environments where tools like this aren't only fun, they are like relief to their day. I feel like sometimes students over-stress themselves in high school, so I would these tools not only to educate and relate to students, but I would also use it to let the students have fun and relax. The software I would use the least would probably Drill-And-Practice Software. I think practice is extremely important when it comes to learning a educational tech skill, but I hope that my students would be well educated enough when it comes technology. I also personally believe repetition has a limit and I think that overtime, my students would be exhausted and would no longer be stimulated by the same practices.