Post #1 Standards and Digital Natives

One influence for teachers to use technology in the classroom is to prepare students for contemporary life. Today's students are immersed in technology before they even walk into school so teachers need to be able to use tools to enhance these kids education in a way that they better grasp. The Partnership for 21st Century Learning has provided the framework for teachers regarding the skills students will need in their futures. The Common Core Standards also incorporate technology into its standard and is just another example of why teachers need to use technology in the classroom. As far as a students use for technology in the classroom, each student learns differently than their peer and so on. Some students are visual learners, and some are auditory learners, etc...When a student is able to use another avenue, such as technology, to learn a topic, they are able to have one-on-one instruction that a teacher may not be able to provide in crowded classrooms. Not to mention that students become more excited when they are able to touch a screen or see animation that gets them excited and also engages their mind.

After reading over the ISTE standards, I believe they set a high standard for all teachers and are great guidelines to follow and strive for. I feel that people do not realize all the the trials and tribulations that teachers forgo so reading through these was eye opening to see all the things teachers can achieve. The standard that gladdens my heart is the following: "Engage with families to bolster students' educational goals and reduce barriers to digital access, and proactively communicate  with families in ways that exhibit cultural competency." This standard makes me happy because engaging with the students parents is so vital to a child's success. The standard that seems outside of my current skill set is the following: "Model with colleagues and students social learning through the use or creation of online personal and professional learning networks." This feels out of my skill set because I am just not familiar with this standard or just how to achieve this.

A digital native is a person who grew up knowing technology but mostly encompasses children, teenagers and young adults. These individuals, typically K-12, can not remember a time without computers, cellphones or the internet. I agree with this label as I am a digital native and most of my professors are digital immigrants except, obviously, my Ed. Tech. teacher. Most of my professors  have a general understanding on technology and can use some tools in the classroom but I would say my classmates and I have a better understanding overall. We sometimes have to help a professor or explain how to use a certain piece of technology during class. As far as the future, I feel that my students will be the same as I am right now in the world and them surpassing my knowledge on technology. Children these days are much more immersed in technology than I was as a child so the future seems clear in that aspect of their knowledge on technology.