Final Reflection

        Technologies have been essential in the progress of mankind.  They have shape how we do things.  From the invention of the wheel to the invention of the internet, humans have found ways to create thing that facilitate their lives.  It is that the definition of technology according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary (2013), “the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to invent things or to solve problems.”  I firmly believe that technologies are here to make our live easier, that is why it is so difficult for me to understand why some people are against the use of modern technologies in the classroom.  If modern technologies are used to solve problems in many areas of our daily lives why can we not use these same technologies to improve the education our children receive?

            Earlier in the semester I defined literacy as having the skills to, look at and understand the meaning of letters, words, symbols, and forming characters or symbols on a surface with an instrument.  Therefore, we have seem a transformation in what it means to be literate, from writing and reading symbols in the walls of caves, to writing and reading The Great Gatsby, to writing and reading text messages. Our concept of literacy has change throughout time, partly due to the changes in technology.  It was in this course that I was able to put the two together. I was able to reach the conclusion that just as technologies change, so do literacy, and therefore as an educator I have to keep up with technological advancements in order to be an effective teacher.

Understanding the needs of our students is essential in order to meet them.  As an educator I think we have come a long way in terms of developing methods of integration of technology in the classroom. At the same time I still believe we have a long way to go before we have integrated our classroom fully into the technology our students need to be successful in our modern world.  It is indispensable that we provide students with appropriate tools, not only physical but also mental, in order for them to be successful.  It is a most, for our students to be transliterate.  They must be able to navigate across platforms in order to prosper in our fast changing world. Our classrooms need to change in order for this to happen.  Our classrooms need to stop being one dimensional and become multi-dimensional.  It will be my pleasure to be part of that change, one that I understand someday might be obsolete, but it is vital today. 

Technology Literacy Guide

The following guide was created to guide Middle School and underclassmen High School student in the process of writing a research paper.

Picking a topic:

You want to pick a topic that interests you. Maybe pick something that brings curiosity to you.  You may want also to consider your audience at the time of picking a topic.  Remember the purpose of research is to answer a question.

Where do I look?

You may want to consider the following places:

The library

Text Books

The internet

Experts in the field

The library:

When you visit the library you may request help from the librarian or you may want to find the book catalog and search the topic of your research. You may also look for Journals or academic publishing on other related researches.

Text Books:

You may want to look at the index of your textbook.  Your topic may be listed there.

Text books are written by experts in the field, therefore they make a good source of information.

Experts in the field:

If you have the opportunity to interview en expert in the field of your research, he or she will be able to provide a lot of helpful information and key perspectives. 

The internet:

As we all know the internet is great place to find information.  At times it may seem like we have infinite amounts of information on the internet.  You have to be careful as to what from the internet you use, as anybody can post just about anything on the internet.  I would recommend sticking to the following when using the internet for your research:

1) Professional Journals

2) Academic Research similar to yours

3) Educational Sites (.edu)

4) Websites by professionals in the field of your topic. 

How do I know what to use?

All information you look at you should evaluate through the following focus:

Who wrote it? (is he or she an expert in the field)

Why did they write? (as part of some research, as their opinion, as a response to somebody else’s work)

When did they write it? (if the piece is to old sometimes the information may no longer be accurate)

 After answering those questions, you need to ask yourself, how this information helps me answer my question.

Writing your research:

Depending on the field of study a specific format may be have to follow a specific format.  Make sure you understand all the requirements and pieces of the format before you begin.

You used it, you cited:

Give credit where credit is due.  Depending on the format you write your research on, will depend who you cite your work.  Make sure to keep track of every source you use (title, author, publishing company, year it was published, city where it was published.)