Blog Post #4

I have a personal Twitter account that I rarely use. When I do go on my account I mainly look at 30-second food tutorials, videos of animals doing cute things, and updates for concerts I am going to attend. I find it very difficult to use Twitter for this class. I am always forgetting to tweet something for this class because I forget that I have the app. The only person I have interacted with on the app is the instructor. I find it beneficial to use the app to contact the instructor instead of email. I do not need to worry about being formal and I can see whether or not the instructor received my message.

Twitter can be useful in my future career because it can keep me updated with the education community. Back in high school, I was a tutor for K-2nd and I found it very helpful to follow the local community schools and the district school boards Twitter pages. These pages posted about upcoming events and helpful tools to use in the classroom.

The digital divide affects student success in schools. There are plenty of schools and families that cannot provide their children with technology. A child who does not have access to tech is automatically behind in society. The world is slowly becoming entirely technology based. Technology skills are needed in order to be successful in receiving a higher education and in the workforce. If a family or school does not have access to tech, due to their location or income, or if a teacher does not possess the necessary skills to teach their students about technology, they are holding that child behind.

I plan on teaching kindergartens in the future. The software I except to use the most are educational games, simulations, and drill-and-practice. Young children have a short attention span. In order to keep them interested and also get them to learn, I will use educational games. Educational games will exercise my student's' skills (hand-eye coordination, memory, critical thinking, problem-solving) while also letting them enjoy a game. Simulations will allow me to show my students situations and items I cannot provide in the class. For example, the era of dinosaurs, a tree growing to adult size, and Earth in space. Drill-and-practice software will allow my students to practice the information I teach in class. This allows for my students to not forget the information.