Computers in the Classroom

To be an educator in the 21st century means that you have to not only teach the basic knowledge needed to pass through grades, but that you also have to teach children how to use technology to help them. An educator should always try to connect things to the children’s real life experiences because that always makes it more fun for them, and really keeps them involved. Being creative is part of a teachers job description and I feel like the internet and educational gaming software will really help them.
Computers are a great asset to the classroom. I feel like they really help connect things for kids. What they learn in the classroom can really be complimented by what they can find on the internet. Things that are going on in the news today could have some connection with something you are teaching in the classroom and I feel that it is important that the kids see and understand that connection. In one of the articles we had to read a teacher used a strike to tie into their discussion of health care and how not enough people have it. She also had the kids watch John Q. to get them making all these connections. Learning is all about connections and the stronger you make those connections the more a child will learn.
I also feel like certain programs used in a classroom can really enhance a subject and make it fun. All those educational games that they have out there could be used in the classroom once a week to make the subject fun for kids. I feel as if these games keep kids engaged in what they are doing, and at the same time they are learning valuable information.
Sources like you tube would be helpful in a classroom also. Being able to watch a clip that has something to do with the unit being studied would really draw kids in. Like for example we read about a teacher who showed a clip of open heart surgery before starting a health unit. I feel like that is a really good tool to make kids want to learn more.
Teachers have to be knowledgeable about not only content but application. They have to bring it close to home for the kids to feel some sort of benefit from it. That’s why I think that it is so important for computers to be a part of the classroom. I feel like overall it would benefit the kids in ways that normal text book reading wouldn’t do.