TECHNOLOGY+INTEGRATION+ESSAY

= ** TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION ESSAY ** =

I chose to reflect on the “Did you Know” video from 2009. No one living in today’s world can deny the incredible advancement in technology. This advancement has brought the instantaneous access of information to our very fingertips. While this may seem to be a benefit to everyone, I personally have mixed feelings. While I enjoy the access I have to information, and use it to benefit my social life, professional life, and academic life, at times I hate that I myself have become accessible at all times. There is no way to escape the technology that we have created, and I think that it is good to be able to get away sometimes. I do however believe that, when a balance is discovered, we can use this technology to educate our young people. Students today have so much more access to information, with so much more ease. The problem is that they don’t have to work for it. I remember going to the library and using the Dewy Decimal system to find a book. Now I just “Google” it. I hope that we can find this balance, and I believe it is our job as educators to do so.
 * 1. Reflection**

As a future physical education teacher I believe that technology can really aid in the “education” side of my field, but it can severely hinder the “physical” aspects. I intend to find this balance in P.E. by allowing students to research and discover information on their body, and how it operates. They might be able to do this in a biology class, but I will make this information specific to the activities we are concurrently participating in. Access to information will also give students the ability to discover activities outside the “main-stream sports.” I will use this access to broaden the horizons of my students in an effort to get them to discover activities that they might enjoy for a lifetime. Technology also gives me the opportunity to help students understand the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle. Pedometers, and heart rate trackers when used with BMI index meters can show that being active and fit directly correlates with being healthy. Being a P.E. teacher is now more important than ever. We have to combat the belief that being inactive physically is a benefit technologically. Some might say they oppose each other, but I believe they can enhance eachother.
 * 2. How I Will Incorporate Technology into the Classroom**