First I have to say, I have never blogged before and this feels extremely strange. I've never been big on journaling either. The only time I reflect like this is when I'm travelling or in the field. So, this is something I'm going to have to get used to.
It's funny when I think about my attitudes toward technology, especially social media. The only one I use on a regular basis is Facebook. I love using Facebook, sometimes my fiance accuses me of being a Facebook junkie. But when I was asked to use Twitter for a class I had a really hard time getting into it. I especially had a hard time remembering to check it. I would like to say that it's because I'm so busy (which is partially true) but I think it's also because I had a negative attitude about Twitter in the first place. It makes me think about what challenges I might face as an instructor when attempting to incorporate any new technology into the classroom, particularly with students' attitudes or biases. But I wholeheartedly want to learn about new technologies and how to use them effectively as a teaching tool. I really don't like the traditional, lecture-based format and am always looking for ways to move away from that. Technology seems like it could be one of the many ways to increase students' participation and motivation in the learning process...if only I knew more about what's available. So that is my biggest goal for the class, learning what's out there and how to effectively incorporate it into the classroom. Secondly, I know I have some personal resistance to certain types of technology, including blogs, that I hope to overcome by the end of this class.
Something that may help is making sure that your students understand why you are asking them to use a particular technology. It may not completely overcome the resistance factor, but at least they will know there is a reason.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to following your blog!