week 9

First of all, when I visited two different preschool classrooms, I noticed how much school funding really influences the technology that is available. One school had very few resources, with only a CD player, an overhead, and a VCR (with the tv). While these are decent resources, they seemed outdated in comparison to the other class, which had those resources as well as several new computers (along with updated educational programs), a projector, a digital camera, and access to bigger speakers than just a CD player.

It was interesting to see the teachers' differing attitudes about technology. The teacher with fewer resources seemed more indifferent about its effects in helping the children learn and did not seem as concerned about how to integrate technology with lesson plans. The second teacher who had access to more resources displayed a very healthy and balanced approach to technology--she acknowledged how beneficial these tools were in helping her to teach and also in helping kids to discover the world from different perspectives.

I think the biggest way that technology influenced both classrooms in a preschool setting was just how much music played a significant part in the kids' experience. Both teachers had access to technology that could play music, and although better funding equates to better quality of music, teachers can still grab kids' attention so much and teach so much by using this tool regardless of its quality. So although it is nice to have more up to date technologies, the most important part is using the technologies that are available and incorporating those into the lesson plans.

It is very interesting to see how different teachers view technology and I hope that when I become a teacher, I appreciate whatever resources that are accessible to me.

Also, I completed parts 1 and 2 for this week (the mid-course evaluation and the informed consent).