I have always said technology is great…..when it works!

As great as technology is I do believe there should be limits to how it is used. This is one of my many soap boxes in education. I teach science and I do a great amount of labs in my classroom. I have seen teachers in my own school who have limited doing labs in their classroom because they have found an online activity that does the same as the actual lab. This is where I have a problem with technology. There is nothing like actually touching the glassware, physically mixing liquids together and watching a reaction take place and spill over your lab area…..that’s true science! Don’t get me wrong, there are some great online lab simulations that are useful when certain lab equipment is way too expensive to own in a regular classroom, however, if a REAL lab can be done then there should be no replacements for it.

One of the biggest challenges I face when using technology is finding the time to actually sit down and learn how to use new programs/apps that are useful in the classroom. We are so paced out and swamped as it is that finding the time to explore these new programs becomes tough. Also, in my classroom I run into the problem of students coming in on all different levels with their technology experience. I have students who fly right through a technology geared activity because they spend hours a day using it and then I have students who literally struggle turning the computer on. If all my students were on the same playing field when it came to using technology it would definitely make incorporating it easier.