BLOG #1 "New Literacies"

With any new task comes new challenges. Since we're discussing technology, I think of it as advancing to the next level in a game. So, not only are we (Educators) tasked with teaching new literacy; but because the world is changing ever-so quickly, we have to be current with our teaching practices as well as our assessment methods. I feel as though its easy to refer to what is familiar to us in terms of the tools and strategies we use for instruction. The fact is, however, we cannot teach the ways in which we were taught for the  simple fact that we were raised for a world which no longer exists. Which makes the challenge that much greater.
As far as "obstacles" go, my concern is that in my personal experience, technology as powerful as it can be, it is not always 100% reliable. It seems that "technical difficulties"seem to always occur at the most unpredictable and even more inconvenient times. One thing that comes to mind in relation to obstacles in technology and education is standardized testing time during my student teaching semester. Testing was done on computers which students used at their desk, there were challenges from laptops not turning on to students screens pausing/freezing mid assessment and it was extremely frustrating. Not to mention a majority of the work that my students did in class as well as their homework was done with paper and pencil, aside from small group work and their 'specials' in the media center 1-2 times a week. So my 3rd graders did have some level of practice/familiarity with using the technology, but I worry that this is not the case for every student in every class due to lack of funds/resources etc.
I like to think that I do a good job at multitasking, but it's a big job that we have to do as teachers, we wear many hats. We have to be teachers, nurses, researchers, mentors, counselors, and tech-savvy problem-solvers who have mastered differentiation in multiple languages.
Using digital technology to teach ELA can be a wonderful experience with the right training, proper tools, accessibility, and if executed correctly with little to no technological difficulties, although I feel that they are inevitable. Especially if the tools are accessible/available for all, and children can see how it can be used in various capacities( i.e. different classroom teachers using it to teach in their respective content area) in and/or out of the classroom

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