Teaching+with+Technology+Week+5

This week's readings about effort really hit home for me. I was always the student that needed recognition and praise to motivate me. I need approval. You have to show me that I am doing well in class. I put more effort into my work when I was recognized. I think the suggestions in the readings for collecting data to reinforce effort are great ideas. I think immediate feedback for the students will definitely reinforce the efforts of the students. There are so many tools that can be used for this purpose. There are always those students that believe there are external factors not allowing them to do well in class. I immediately thought of my brother when I read about the external factors. He jumps to the point to blame everything/everyone else for reasons why he cannot perform successfully in class. He is a very intelligent person and all he needs to do is apply himself. I think that if someone had shown him a little recognition while he was in school, he may have applied himself and put more effort into his work.

Overall, this course has been very informational regarding technology and the available tools for the classroom. This course has given me great ideas to take with me when I become a technology leader some day. Technology is the greatest way to level the playing field for the diverse learners in the 21st century. I think back to my days in school and how the "normal" children were segregated from the "special" children. Technology brings everyone together and makes students feel less ostracized and more included.