Blog Post #5

Using Instagram for a PLN has been very different than using it personally. I have interacted with a high school teacher and a first grade teacher. their teaching styles are very different as well as how they set up their pages. I have also looked at #teachertalks, and I have seen that it is relatively negative. It seems more like a page where teachers can complain about students and parents. I would not like to put any information like that out in public because of the repercussions from other faculty and parents if they find out what you are posting online.

I feel like the digital divide will still be prevalent in the classroom years in the future as well. There is already a divide, and technology only grows so by the time when teachers, that have grown up with technology their whole lives, will not have the capabilities to keep up with the students. I believe that there will be a divide in my classroom, but I would like to keep the students away from electronic screens because that may inhibit their behavior as well as their literacy. I would like to use books and minor electronics like a Smartboard to ensure students are benefiting from their education and are not getting distracted by screens.

One software I would like to use with my students is a Smartboard. While I was growing up, it was like a fancy whiteboard where you could project the paper assignment and write on it in front of the class. This would be helpful to the students because it will encourage them to pay attention to their assignments as well as interact with the screen. I would also like to use a computer lab to teach computer literacy. It is vital that the students know how to use a computer as well as protect their privacy.