Social Justice!

Even though there are students who may not have computers at home, I do not feel like I should put the entire class at a disadvantage and withhold the use of technology so as to not alienate these select few students. Computers and the internet are so prevalent today that even if one doesn’t own a computer at home, there are so many resources where technological needs can be met. There are oodles of public libraries that have computers, and there are computer labs at school. There is so much free public access to computers that there is no excuse to not include it in the curriculum.

I definitely think that I would be doing my students a disservice if I do not use technology in the classroom. By not using technology in the classroom, I am setting my students up to enter college or the workforce untrained in any technological aspects and immediately throwing them into these situations unprepared. I completely agree with the social justice article when it says that “Students without these skills are at a decided disadvantage in terms of future educational and employment opportunities in our global, technological, and information-based society.” (Swain, & Edyburn, 2007). In the working world, getting hired is all about having experience, and if these students are getting no training in technology, they will not be marketable in the workforce.

I think that the social justice article had a lot of useful tips for how to get technology in the classroom: “The Digital Equity Portal has more than 150 strategies and resources for addressing key aspects of the digital divide. Many of the associated issues (access to hardware, software, digital content, connectivity, and support) do have solutions. There are computer refurbishment Web sites where schools can obtain computers and also ways to get deeply discounted computers. There is also a growing collection of free or open source software available. Educators must search for ways to make instructional technologies accessible in the class and a normal part of the learning process.” (Swain, & Edyburn, 2007) I think that there are so many ways that we as teachers can try to help out students who do not have access to technology outside of school. It might even be something as simple as taking time during lunch or after school to help students who do not have access to technology at home.



Swain, C, & Edyburn, D. (2007). Social justice choice or necessity?. Learning and leading with technology, 14-18.

Totally Awesome Power Points!

Today in class we all did power point presentations that had to include a plethora of graphics and such! I really enjoyed all of the presentations in our class today. I will not name many names, but I have to say that I really super enjoyed Brandon's and Steven's presentations. They were so fun and interactive. Music is near and dear to my heart so I am always up for looking at music theory, and I was humbled to see how little I know about Geography. I also really enjoyed how many awesome pitctures were used during the presentations. It is awesome to see the work that people put into these and the creative pictures, videos, and sounds that were included. I also loved the use of humor by many people.

Just a few not so engaging awesome things: I do not enjoy when presenters just stand at the podium and read mainly from note sheets, it's a little boring. Also when sound clips or movie clips don't work properly, it is a little distracting and disruptive. But it is great when that doesn't trip a presenter up and they just roll with it!

I think one thing I could do to improve for next time is to talk more about all of the awesome pictures I included in my presentation. I am really excited about the pictures I included, I realize I should have talked more about them. I liked how other presenters used a picture as a jumping off point for a really cool anecdote about their subject.

I love using power point presentations. When used properly, they can be such an effective way to convey information and you can make them funny, exciting, and engaging. There are definitely cons to a power point if you use them ALL the time, or if you are just a boring presenter, or if your presentations are confusing and complicated. But I love them and I love making them as exciting as I can and funny while still conveying everything I am trying to get across.

Nice job everyone!!