Some final thoughts on technology in education (blog post 4)

 For this final blog post, I wanted to take a step back and reflect on the course as a whole. Before taking this class, I was hesitant about the use of technology in the classroom. I thought it would be too difficult to keep students on-task with a screen in front of them. In addition, I was worried about all of the false information available on the internet. While I still do think that misinformation should be addressed before introducing technology into the classroom, I have grown to appreciate the potential of technology in education. 

For better or for worse, we are more connected then ever through the internet. Both false information and a wealth of usable information is available anywhere with an internet connection, at any time. 

I was especially impressed by the cite: search in google to find information from other countries. It is interesting to see the perspective of other nations. I am excited to use this in my classroom, especially when we talk about controversial topics (global warming, vaccine hesitancy, evolution... unfortunately, there are a lot of controversial topics in biology).

The internet can be a great place to view others' opinions, if used correctly

I am also excited about using Google Earth in my classroom, especially when we are learning about different biomes. It would be really fun to have my student make a custom map with all of the different biomes in Washington state labeled! We could also use Google earth to learn about deforestation and habitat defragmentation-- clear cut forests are easily visible on satellite images. 

Clear-cut forests seen via Google Earth in Oregon