This is a class blog based on tv series such as LOST where students are asked to do some assignments based on the episodes watched and analysed in class. There is more to it than the eye meets.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

The use of technology in education

Hi everybody! I was asked to write about the use of technology in education... so here I am! I’m sorry if you find it a bit long... =P

Technology is not something new in the science of teaching as teachers have been searching in the internet for information for their classes for some years now. Videos are also used since long ago... but technology is something that evolves with huge steps and we can’t just stay behind; we should evolve and interact with it because if we don’t, when we least notice, we will be far behind all the new world. Technology has some disadvantages, but definitely its positive points have much more weight. The secret is to know how to use it in the properly way without falling into the addiction and lack of social events and interpersonal relationships because of it. But that is another topic.

Technology is a very useful tool in terms of education. The teacher can go through the internet to search for information in order to prepare classes as well as students can search for answers for their works. But technology is not only the information we get when doing a click in “search” in the Google toolbar. Technology surrounds us everywhere and is found in absolutely everything we have near. Technology is something that has been evolving since long time ago and nowadays we can’t stay behind because it is the tool of our future.

What would you prefer, the teacher who comes with chalks and talks the whole period, or the one who comes with a laptop, a projector and a screen? Would you prefer the one who writes in the board or the one who types and you read everything in the screen? As a student, I can say that we feel completely attracted when we have those activities that are different from the everyday’s. When we have to go to the lab, to the computer room, or to watch a film, we go with more enthusiasm than to a regular class. So, I think that students try to find more dynamism in the classes; that is the detail that makes the classes far more bearable, interesting, fun and that is a way to get us concentrated and interested in the topic. At least that happened in my school when suddenly a new teacher appeared with a laptop, a projector and a screen every single class (Charlie, you know...). We had to send him our homework via e-mail, he would answer back and suddenly a new relationship teacher-student that we had never thought of started taking place. Interacting with a teacher on line is very different to the regular interaction and with it people show different aspects of their lives that get to know better the other person.

Learning is not always fun, but teachers can make it bearable and really fun some times! Most of the times, if we like or not a subject depends on the teacher, don’t you think so? That means that the teachers with more creativity to teach in a way that interests the students, with dynamism and good methods is the one we will like most.

As technology evolves and advances with huge steps, we have to update with it too. So this year, the blogs and the making of a video were part of the English program at Saint Patrick’s School. Each of the students had to create a blog (my blog) and we write at least twice a week about anything we want for half an hour more or less. We also have a class blog where we find asignments and a school blog also created by ourselves. The making of the video clip consisted in choosing a song each and making the video with pictures from the Internet or taken by us and showing what the song wants to express. My video is about suicide and it has pictures of me too, because the feelings that the song shows – when you watch it you’ll know – are things we all can feel, and in fact, I’ve felt. The song represents me a lot and I felt very identified with it in a period of my life. So here it is:


You asked for it, so here it is, Alina! =)
Thank you for the space in here and remember that technology is the best tool to make classes more interesting, to make education fun and to catch the students’ attention. We should use it and evolve together. Go on like that!!
Entry about my video clip here

1 comment:

Alina Teran said...

WOWWWW!! THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING!! I LOVE IT, THE COMMENT IS SO TRUE. WE TEACHERS HAVE A COMMITMENT AND WE MUST GO FURTHER THAN THE CHALK, THE BOARD AND THE PHOTOCOPIES. I TRULY BELIEVE SO. I HAVE SEEN THAT ENTHUSIASM IN MY STUDENTS`EYES MYSELF! I THINK WE ARE ALL SETTING A STEP FORWARD, BRIDGING GAPS, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WHILE TEACHING THE SYLLABUS AS WELL.
THE CLIP IS FANTASTIC, I SAW IT MANY TIMES AND I GUESS IT REALLY SHOWS A COMMON FEELING :HOLD ON!!!. I DEEPLY BELIEVE THAT LIFE IS THE WAY WE TAKE IT. EVERYBODY HAS PROBLEMS, SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE LUCKY THAN OTHERS IN SOME ASPECTS BUT ANYWAY, THIS IS LIFE, WE MUST STAND UP AFTER EVERY FALL, LEARN AND GO ON. THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY OUT. SOMETIMES WE ARE TEMPTED TO TAKE THE EASIEST ROAD BUT IT IS THE HARDEST ONE THAT WILL MAKE US STRONGER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH VALE!!!!!

GET BONUS POINTS!!!

Choose a partner and browse in the web for extra data, photos, postcads or/and spoilers that are related to this second season and publish them here in our class blog. Your contributions will always be welcome and appreciated!!