Blog Journal 4

I have been interacting with outside educators on Twitter. For example, I have explored the page of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a famed and esteemed physicist and educator. This has benefited me specifically by introducing me to new educational material and articles available. Twitter may be beneficial in my career as a tool to communicate ideas and information to students.

The “Digital Divide” affects student success in school because the current system is increasingly dependent on technology. Students without technology are put at a disadvantage to their peers and are burdened by technology instead of aided. Furthermore, different areas have different levels of access to technology and this puts the student with less technological savvy at a disadvantage in the job market. Some causes of this divide are the economic status of an area and disparity in local resources. As a classroom teacher, there will be a disparity in the technological knowledge of the students. My personal preference to limit the extent of technology use in the classroom, should soften this challenge and I can bridge the divide.

I expect to utilize software that focuses on providing vibrant and attention-grabbing material. Expecting to teach students at the high school or collegiate levels, the dilemma is to hold their attention amongst the plethora of distractions they face. I would like to use software like Prezi and PowerPoint of course to provide visual aid, but also engaging software like iClickers. This would ensure that every student is engaged and their grade is dependent on their continued attention. This provides incentive to the students to pay attention and something to carry their attention.