What I learned today...
Tech Edge Conference UNL
What I learned today... I attended the Tech Edge Conference at UNL to gain more insight into the many different ways that as a teacher, I can incorporate technology into my classroom. Coming into this conference I was somewhat skeptical as to what exactly they could teach me that I had no previously knew. Let’s face it, growing up in an age full of technology, I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the idea. However, after attending I could not have been more wrong. I learned how to incorporate multiple sights and ideas with technology in my classroom, as well as how to actually use it. This conference consisted of a key note speaker and then three breakout sessions that followed. I chose to go to two sessions: one being about how to use google sites for my classroom and also on how to use this technology. I learned that we as future teachers need to get informed about the possibilities, affordances, and limitations that technology can bring. Google sites tools are a great website to use in any classroom setting. You are able to use it as your home website for your class, incorporate a class calendar, and keep the whole class updated on day to day changes. It serves as a perfect database to post any important information, quizzes, and anything else students may need help on. You can create online forums for your class, as well as spaces for everyone to simply get to know one another. I also learned a great deal on how to actually set up and use the technology that we are given. So often you hear people saying they have the technology but they just don’t know how to use it. We were taught not only what everything was that we could use in our classroom, but how to correctly set it up and make sure everything was running like it should be. This I found very practical and useful for everyone. Overall, I came out of this conference with a new look on how to implement technology use in the classroom with my students. There are so many free resources out there for teachers to use in their classrooms, all we need to do is capitalize on them. Whether you have a laptop or an ipad you are able to do so much more than you could have 15 years ago. It is a shame not to use these resources with our students, as they are so abundant and so useful.
