Blog #1 Media Technology in the Classroom

-

 

Welcome to According to Katanie, where I share my ramblings and thoughts!  My name is Katanie. I am an English Literature student at CSUN, finishing up my last semester.  I am an older student, having returned to school after a long hiatus where I raised three children. My interests lie in reading and writing. I am not an educator and do not aspire to be, but through the wonders and challenges of parenthood, my opinions on the process of education are held from the standpoint of a mother who took an active role in helping her children in and outside of the classroom. I have also been a homeschool educator for my child with learning disabilities.

I believe that media technology can play a beneficial role in teaching. In considering the use of technology, we must first acknowledge that children spend quite a bit of time on digital devices. The use of phones, computers, and video game systems rule most of their free time. They communicate with each other through these devices. They learn about people and the world through these devices. I think the education system would be remiss to ignore the value that children place on technology. Integrating technological tools can serve as a boost for student engagement and supplemental instruction. Not all children learn the same. For some, tech can be more engaging than a lecture from a teacher. This is not to say that a teacher’s role is obsolete or that teachers should rely on media technology to do their jobs. Traditional instruction along with media technology in moderation can lead a student down the path of success. In some instances, these technological additions can provide specialized instruction where a student who is performing poorly may get left behind

I have witnessed text to speech programs implemented to help learners with dyslexia. My own child used these tools to help with writing exercises. In the same vein, programs that contribute to helping children read and measure reading comprehension can help both student and teacher, so that a problem can be pinpointed or accelerated materials can be brought in for an advanced student. Unfortunately, in my experience, I have seen students bore easily using reading comprehension programs. In these instances, the activities seem to be counterproductive in advancing reading skills. Video learning, online collage, and infographic projects boost creativity and allow for the use and exploration of alternative forms of media to communicate separately and together. Technology can be a wonderful addition in education as long as it is not used as a replacement for traditional instruction, but as a useful tool to promote learning as the ultimate outcome.

 

 

Comments

  1. Jesse GonzalezAugust 30, 2024 at 11:31 PM

    Hi Katanie!

    First, I just wanted to say congratulations on choosing to continue your education after such a lengthy, and eventful, break! I firmly believe that if I took that long of a break I wouldn't be able to come back to college since it would be such a dramatic shift from what I got used to! I really liked your opinion of technology and traditional technology working hand-in-hand with each other to help teach children better. I think growing up, being students, and in your case being a parent, we often hear about the different ways that children like to learn, there being those who prefer visual instruction as well as those who prefer more hands-on education. I think technology serves this interesting middle ground where students can get visually appealing lessons and activities that allow for both hands-on-learning, but also allows them to learn a bit more at their own pace. I don't think a one size fits all approach to education is appropriate, nor effective for students who are, for all intents and purposes, still learning how to be their own person in addition to getting into their own academic groove. I think this black and white thinking in regards to teaching style is what drives a lot of students to be academically disinclined since the education system never took their existence and preferences into account; I think technology really helps address this issue.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog #2 A Reflection on the Poetics of Poetry

-
  Poetry. I love poetry. I love the appreciation of poetry. Reading, analyzing and writing poetry are three different things that somehow all play into each other. A poem can be read and simply appreciated. The reader can love the way the words made them feel, the words used, or the structure. Analyzing poetry is a bit more involved. There’s a whole language about poetry that needs to be learned before any analysis can take place. There’s counting and math attached to this learning process. This is the time when true understanding of artistry takes place. Poems are not cutesy, rhyming little ditties. They are serious work. Words like stanza, assonance, tetrameter, and quatrain become imperative to learn. It becomes apparent just how much work it takes when it’s time to write about poetry. Explication can only take place after a deep analytical process. Everything that is discovered in the analyzation then begins to help form an understanding of what was read. Writing about poetry is so
Read more

Blog #3 A Reflection on Creating a Myth

-
       Creating my own myth was an interesting experience. I have not had the opportunity to use my imagination to be creative and write something fun for a long time. I enjoyed the process very much. I had to think deeply about the story I wanted to tell, while also adhering to the rules of myth, by exploring natural phenomena or human archetypes. During our class presentations I realized how much myth has influenced the way I view the world and the people in it. Myth explains foundations in life that have seemed foreign to me. I had a wonderful time figuring out what I would include in my own myth, but also keeping true to applying the elements of myth to things I like to focus on: flowers and love. Creating the website as an extension of my myth was an added layer that made me with that the story I created was real. I’m glad I got to create a visual world to accompany what I wrote      I think having students create a myth would be a fun way to encourage use of their imagination
Read more