Technology Experience

As a child, I moved around a lot because my dad was in the military. I lived in North Carolina for most of Elementary School and we really didn’t have any technology in the classroom besides one computer. That one computer in the classroom was just for the teachers the students were not able to touch the computer. If we needed the computer for any work, we would all have to go down to the computer lab. When I moved to Georgia in sixth grade we didn’t have much technology available as a resource in the classroom. Even if we did have the computer labs or library the teachers would always have to check a month or two in advance so that they could secure a spot for us. Most of the time, the teachers would just have to tell us to find a way to finish the project or paper at home, because it would often be difficult for them to get into the computer lab. Not only would we have to try and do projects in the classes, but we would also have to learn how to type through out sixth grade. It was difficult doing that because they would give us a sheet of paper to cover the keyboard so we wouldn't look down at the keyboard.

When I moved around a lot one of the places I got the chance to live was in Vicenza, Italy. We lived there for about four months, which meant that I went to school there for about two months. It was definitely a new experience for me because in their classrooms they did have smartboards put into their classrooms over the summer. Most students were excited to use this new tool in the classroom. When I first used it, I thought it was better then having to write on the chalkboard or white board. It made getting up in front of the classroom better and made you feel more relaxed. I did end up moving back to the states during seventh grade and that is when I moved to New Hampshire. 

I am sure that not everyone has had the opportunities I have had in my lifetime with not just moving to different places, but with technology in the classrooms. At my middle school, everyone in the seventh grade had laptops in every class. They were old Apple computers that had been previously used by other students. Often students would have trouble with the laptops, which would make it difficult for the student if everyone needed there own laptop in the class that day. High school we didn't have our own laptops, but for the most part the teachers had a hard time when it came to having new technology put into the class. It was often a big issues for most of the teachers when they were getting the smartboards put into the classrooms. Sometimes even the students were able to work the smartboards better then the teachers.  

I hope that for the future Educators or even employees will have a better understanding of the technology they are going to be working with. In some cases, I know that most employees take a course or have a meeting with everyone to learn about the technology. My question is do any of the employees actually get to play around with the technology before using it in the work place. I am certainly no master with technology, but I want to be able to use my resources correctly even if I have to ask another employee. Everyone in the office I believe should have a well enough understanding of what they are using the world before they are to the meeting. Later on in life, I know that I will struggle with trying to use the technology in the world, but that doesn’t mean I wont quit trying until I have a full understanding of what I am doing. 

Coming to Southern New Hampshire University

   Ever since the day I was accepted into Southern New Hampshire University people would always ask why did you, chose SNHU? What makes its better then other schools looked at? When you first step onto the campus, you automatically feel welcomed by the students and faculty. I am not usually one to just jump in and get involved into activities or meeting new people, but when I visited SNHU for the first time I wanted to get involved with as many clubs as possible. In addition, while visiting SNHU I was able to talk with a professor who was able to tell me what it is like in a typical class. I had so many questions about what some of the classes are like here at SNHU. I obviously didn’t want to hold the professor up from going to class. I loved how there was a tutoring available not just for English or math. They had many options for other courses if they required tutoring services. The best thing about SNHU is that no matter what you always have somebody to help you whether it be school related or personal. The professors are willing to go out of their way to help a student whether it is before or after class. It is the simple things like that, that helped me chose SNHU.

I have taken most classes required for an education minor. I have taken introduction to education, Children with disabilities, and child development. EDU 235 is a requirement for my minor in education. When I first saw that “Learning with Technology” was a requirement I was somewhat shocked that we needed this class. It then came to mind that teachers need to have a generalized idea of the technology that we will be using inside the classroom and outside of the classroom. It also makes you realize that every year technology is taking over the classroom so you will have to always be updated on the new technology. I am excited to take this course because it will teach me new things that I can use in the future.