Blog Journal 4

I have been using Twitter for years on my personal account sharing memes and funny tweets, videos, etc. For this class, I have been responding to the EME 2040 account questions and challenges. I have also been retweeting some educators and educational experts. I have liked using it for educational purposes so far as it has brought me to some new experts and opinions. It can be useful as an educator to find peers in your field to share ideas and experiences.

The digital divide is basically caused by class divisions. Those who come from middle class families can afford luxuries like computers and phones, as well as home internet access. Those from working class families or families living in poverty do not have these resources. Students with access to this technology immediately have a leg up, as they know the technology better than those without, and have the opportunity to easily finish homework and assignments at home. As a teacher, I think this will be disheartening. I know that technology is taking over the educational and professional sectors, and students may feel left behind or even embarrassed for not having technological experience. To help close this divide in my classroom, I will make sure to not assume that all of my students already know how to use basic computer technology and also try to incorporate this technology in the classroom as much as possible, but not as much for homework.

As an English teacher, Google Docs is a software that I will be using a lot. It gives students access to a word processing software without having to pay for Microsoft Word; their work can also be accessed anywhere, so they don't have to worry about emailing papers or printing them at home. It also allows for students to collaborate easily. Another software I want to use is a smart board, which is a white board but technological, which is much easier than using the traditional board and has many fun and useful features.