Technologically Literate

I never knew how important it was to be technologically literate. According to ITEAA, being technologically literate allows us to effectively and comfortably use technology to access and create information to solve problems and think critically, while also being able to understand how to evaluate the technology and it’s effect on society. Being technology literate is very important as we need to understand that their are tradeoffs when using technology and the effects of those tradeoffs. Being technologically literate is very important in not only a classroom, but in general because the world is so influenced and controlled by technology. We must always remember how many ways we can use technology and how rapidly changing it can be.

In a classroom, technology is not neutral nor unbiased which can be problematic for teachers. There is no “best way” to integrate technology into the classroom, so teachers should be educated on the technology, content, and pedagogy to insure that they are using technology in a way that best supports learning. Teachers can not ignore the problems that technology presents.

Teachers must be familiar with the technology itself and show students how to legally find and acquire the information from legitimate places and the correct way to do so. They need to show students the “right” and “wrong” way to do such so students are able to tell the difference as they navigate it themselves. Explicitly modeling for students is crucial for them to use the technology in the right way. We must show students how to use the technology to critically think and not as an easy way out. Technology can be an important tool to facilitate and enhance learning if applied in the best way. It is the teacher’s job to do that.