Blog Journal 5

Instagram and Twitter (X) have had different roles in building my Personal Learning Network. I find Instagram to be more helpful for informational resources in the form of posts and videos. There are lots of teacher-run accounts aimed towards educators and aspiring educators based on grade level and subjects. The content in these types of accounts include techniques for promoting student collaboration, frameworks for curriculum, and even personal experiences about how these instructors handled classroom issues. On the other hand, I find that Twitter is more helpful for recent news about what is going on in the educational field in general. For instance, I often find news publications about laws that affect schoolteachers. I believe it will be important to utilize social platforms such as Instagram and Twitter in my future career; I can look at what strategies other teachers employ in their classrooms and in their teaching style to gain inspiration on ways I could modify my own teaching style. It's also going to be important for me to stay updated on the current events in my field to think about how they might affect my professional life in the long-term.

Though technology is omnipresent in modern schools, the digital divide still affects the amount of high-quality technology that students have access to. One thing that has contributed to the digital divide in some schools is low funding; classrooms in underfunded schools can have basic technology for students to use, such as laptops and a digital board. However, they may lack technology programs (think STEM extracurricular programs) that high funded schools tend to have. The students with access to these programs gain an advantage by learning how to become more comfortable working with complex technology other than computers. The result is a divide between students who only know basic technological skills (who may not easily accustom to learning new technologies) and students who have more experience with applying their knowledge in technology programs (who may be more comfortable with new technologies). The digital divide may also extend outside of school; some students come from lower-income families that do not have access to Internet in their home, and they have to go to a public library to use the internet and complete their homework. As an educator, I want my students to be able to progress well in school without worrying about factors of their personal life that could affect their education. One way I could see myself supporting students who don't have easy access to technology is by making time to go to the school's computer lab so everyone can have time to work on assignments. For those who do not have a printer at home, I could also allow those students to use my printer to print out school-related papers. It would also help to remind students that technology is a privilege and to not take it for granted.

I expect to use a lot of academic software to help my students practice the curriculum they learn. Since I'm going to teach elementary grades, its crucial that I use a platform that encompasses information from multiple subjects and grade levels. Khan Academy is a website with videos, articles, and mini-quizzes to help students understand and practice math, language arts, and science lessons. These practices can be accessed when the teacher assigns it for homework. There is also test preparation material for the math portion of the Florida B.E.ST exam, which can help students feel prepared when they eventually take it. Another platform I think might be helpful for my class is Class Dojo. It's an online portal that help teachers manage their classrooms by tracking student academics and attendance, sending announcements, and monitoring behavior. Teachers can also contact students' parents and even other faculty members through the platform. I also like that Class Dojo accounts can be connected with Google Classroom. This can be helpful for when teachers want to share class content or give feedback on assignments.