Blog Post #1

The main influence that compels both teachers and students to integrate technology into learning in the classroom is the fact of the digital age that students have grown up into. These “digital natives” are so used to using technology in every aspect of their lives that the most efficient and entertaining way to educate them is to use what they already know to teach them. The sheer availability and influence of technology in this day and age means that many teachers and their students are adapting education methods to fit into this technological age.

Of all the ISTE standards for teachers, I feel that the standard that is the most important would be being a learner. I feel that being a learner is essential to being an educator because if you cannot adapt both your teaching style and allow new information to be introduced to the topic you are teaching, you cannot be an effective teacher. A standard that I feel is out of my current skill set is designer, because I have not learned any education methods or how to design effective class plans, as that is not my major. 

I completely agree with the label “digital native” for the youth of today. To be a digital native is to be someone who has come of age in this technological era, and has lived their entire life alongside technology. I feel like the main difference between the way “digital natives” and “digital immigrants”is their ability to adapt quickly to new technology and troubleshoot, I feel like the digital natives can do all of these things so much quicker because its something they have been doing their entire lives; its almost muscle memory at this point.