I believe that engaging/delving into the new technologies and applying those tools to the classroom, will not only make lessons more interesting, but the students will be able to relate more to the educator. (There's no better way than understanding what the students are exposed to outside of the classroom setting, and applying that to everyday teaching. This is the best way to grab their attention and give them the opportunity to explore and learn.) Larry Cuban from Stanford University couldn't have said it any better: technology is being "oversold and underused" because teachers aren't making that a priority in their teaching methods. (p.17)
Tech Tools:
These tools were actually a great help for me. For instance, I'm looking into purchasing a new laptop but do not know where to start. (I'm not technologically savvy yet.) Anyway, after reading page 7, I'm a little more confident about what to look for when buying a laptop. The information provided was very useful, and I'm actually thinking about using their guide when I go buy my laptop as well.
Summary:
Overall, this chapter was very insightful. The statistics that were provided really opened my eyes to how teachers tend to exclude technology within the classroom setting. (Except for the ones who are on a 7-block period, it becomes nearly impossible with that type of a schedule to effectively use technologies during that period on a regular basis.) This chapter also opened my eyes to the lack of technology that students who are located in the urban Ares are lacking. However, this chapter brought an excitement for me to learn how to lesson plan with new types of tools that are offered out there through technology. I don't want to end up being one of those teachers who lecture all of the time; even if I am going to be a math teacher, I don't think that's an excuse.
