Bohle,+Christopher

Here are links to my lesson template and my lesson reflection. My lesson was on the Pythagorean Theorem.



It is part of my personal philosophy that technology is an important and often overlooked tool that can be used in a wide variety ways to further the educational experience of the students in my classroom. Technology provides an abundant opportunity for educations to demonstrate learning material, explore new worlds, test student knowledge, enhance student interaction, and increase many different aspects covered in the universal design for learning. It is important however that technology be used as a tool to enhance the educational experience of the students rather than a supplement for instruction. Often teachers can misuse technology and use it as a means to teach a lesson rather than as a tool to demonstrate a certain aspect of a lesson. A classic example of this misuse is the use of video’s that span to entire class with no follow-up or critical thinking discussion. Sure it may be easier for the teacher but the class will not retain the information they have seen and hence will not learn the material meant to be taught by the video. Instead, the teacher could teach his/hers purpose for the lesson and use a quick clip to reiterate or solidify the concept that is supposed to be taught by the teacher. A second example of a misused technology could be a teacher giving calculators to students to do arithmetic before properly teaching them how to do the arithmetic by hand. The calculator is a misused tool in this situation because it creates a learning gap and may never allow that student to gain the competency to do that arithmetic on their own. When used correctly, technology can become an exceptional tool for student learning, providing several methods and pathways to bring information and learning to students who learn in several different ways. When used irresponsibly, technology can create a learning gap that could affect the students learning later on down the road. I am an advocate for appropriate use of technology in the classroom.

**After reviewing my view on implementing technology into the classroom from the beginning of the semester and considering my view now I would have to say that my opinion has not changed, simply strengthened in believe. Technology is a great tool for teachers to use to increase student learning and reach out to students of different learning styles to enhance the quality of education received by the students.**