Week 1 Technology Integration

Respond by describing your technology background and feelings about technology. In addition, define what technology integration is.  Be sure to refer to the articles above or to any other sources that you may have come across...

I have always had a computer in my household. My father works as an IT Analyst so I was always learning how to use the computer. Now, I teach him about new programs and websites. During my undergraduate studies I was apprehensive about the use of technology in art making. I had a very difficult time grasping how to use programs to create art. After a lot of practice, I can now use Photoshop and I even learned how to use Flash. Having a tablet helps when it comes to making art on the computer. As an art teacher I will use technology to facilitate my lessons. I am constantly looking up ideas for art projects on the internet. There are so many blogs created by art teachers with wonderful creative ideas. All of my reference photos come from the internet. You can easily research artists and their work on the internet. I will use a projector in my art class in order to present my lessons and show my students famous works of art. I also use the computer to access music for my art classes. 

The article Four Takes on Technology was very inspiring. Critical thinking and research skills are being used when students use the internet to learn. I believe technology integration caters to all different learning styles. Children who learn best by watching a video, listening to a recording, reading an article, or seeing pictures can all benefit from using the internet as a resource. When students connect with other students from around the world they learn communication skills and about other cultures. They learn by teaching. My favorite part of the article was about the teacher who was empowering her students while teaching graphic arts. Her lessons did not need to be about African American culture but by relating to her students she was able to inspire them. 

Learning to Change - Change to Learn talks about how we should be using technology that our students use such as, facebook, twitter, blogs, instant messaging, texting as a resource in the classroom and not something that we prohibit in the classroom. Use of technology in the classroom allows children to think outside the box. It promotes critical thinking and communication skills, community and teamwork. Teachers can use technology to network and connect with other teachers to share ideas. We as teachers need to grow and learn with our students using all of our technological resources.