Blog Post#5

I haven’t had much experience with Twitter at all because I’ve been more occupied with other classes, and even some of the assignments for this one as well. However, I know from others that it is very resourceful in being up to date with the current news, both nationally and internationally. I think that is very helpful in making sure lesson plans are inclusive to what’s happening in the world and being able to gauge students’ thoughts through that. I plan to start using it soon to keep in touch with the different teaching and educational accounts so I can learn more about how teachers use Twitter.

The digital divide affects student success depending on whether or not they have access to the internet and other technologies. A student is more likely to succeed if they can use the internet at any time and have no problems or issues with it, unlike another who can’t and has to go to other places to complete their homework. Because they are more used to using technology, the first student will likely be more skilled as well than the other. Some causes of the digital divide can be lack of funding for schools in more rural areas, where their computers may not be up to date or have none at all. Another could be the socioeconomic status of students and their families, where they are unable to afford the latest technology. As a classroom teacher, more than likely there will be a few students who have to deal with this in each class, so it will be important to be aware and not make it a big factor when assigning homework. If they still need to use the internet, they can offer after school hours for them to use computers.

In my future classroom, I would like to implement any of Google’s software tools, such as Docs or Slides, and Kahoot. Google Docs and Slides allow for students to write essays, reports, and create presentations for class. With Google, I think it is much easier than having Microsoft because not everyone is able to install it or have it up to date, so they either can’t use similar functions or have to learn how to use it differently (older techniques). Kahoot is different, but is very fun to use in classrooms from experience! It lets teachers create quizzes for the class to participate in using a game show-like style, and the range is extensive that makes it easy for any subject. I think it would be extremely fun to implement when I want to have a quick way to review material.