The role of technology in English has the potential to be extremely useful. From my experience in high school, English teachers utilized the internet to help supplement research and a variety of outside analyses of literature all the time. However, I rarely had an English teacher that used more than just that. Some of my teachers did have Smartboards and used them in ways to help the class run smoothly, especially in terms of diagramming sentences and having students come up to the board to write examples or pull up Youtube videos.
To be quite honest though, I'm not super familiar with modern and exciting programs at the disposal for English teachers. I'm excited to learn about some of these programs- I've discovered quite a bit of new and interesting stuff from following notable writers/authors/English experts on my twitter account. I see now, at least the partial significance of using social media in classrooms. I understand the push for encouraging digital literature in classrooms through the use of Kindles, iPads, Nooks, etc. but personally, I really don't think I want to exclusively use these in my classroom. I highly value the importance of the written page and the ability to annotate and take notes in the margins of books. I also think that note-taking is one of the most important aspects in the successful learning of writing and reading. I think the practice of allowing students to take pictures of slides with their smartphones so they can avoid writing out notes is completely counterproductive. Again, I understand the efficiency and convenience of using digital literature and ways of notetaking in the classroom, but as a huge supporter of plain old pen and paper, I really push for the traditional ways of writing and reading.
Another great post - you show insight, concern, and openness to learn matched by curiosity: The English language, like others, is definitely affected by technology - as language always has been. There are a lot of ways that reading, writing, speaking, and expressing oneself through language is impacted that is pretty fascinating. That we can now click on a word and have that word expand means that reading (and writing) is a much more non-linear process than 25 years ago. Texting and other media are changing the way people express themselves. such as :P :) ;) etc. -- and reading/writing are no longer the sole way to communicate with people efficiently over vast distances. These trends and more are changing the context for English Teaching - and learning. I hope you'll continue to explore the many ways that English learning can be assisted by and through technology. Great reading your posts!
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