Reflection #2

What? In reflecting on technology within education, I considered how much more enjoyable and exciting classes would be if all my teachers used some form of interactive white boards to present material. Just this week, during our SMART board presentations in the Tech Ed. class, Jonas presented an interactive lesson covering European geography. This reminded me of the Geography class that I am taking right now at Northwest, because we recently studied European countries, cities, and geographical landmarks within that class, as well.

So What? During my geography class, when we were discussing the very places Jonas covered in his presentation, I don't think that my teacher succeeded in engaging the entire class. However, if he had been using a SMART board and/or a lesson similar to Jonas', he may have had much more of a chance keeping the class' attention. I would prefer to learn about Europe through the SMART board presentation, rather than through an unmoving map up on the board. Learning can be accomplished in both cases, but an interactive white board would grab the attention of more students since it demands student involvement and class interaction.

Now What? I want to remember this example of the use of technology within teaching, because it makes me want to strive to build interactive lessons for my future students. By going the extra yard to make a lesson interactive, I believe that more students will get the most out of the objective the teacher has set out to accomplish. Teachers should consider the benefits of engaging the class whenever they are planning lessons.