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"Given the realities of our modern age and the demands of our children's future, is it really ok to allow teachers to choose whether or not they incorporate modern technologies into their instruction?"
No choice: I believe that teachers should incorporate modern technologies into their instruction, no question about it. However I think that teachers need to be careful on how they use technology in the classroom. As we discussed in class, our world is constantly evolving with technology. To not incorporate it into the classroom would mean that teachers would not be preparing their students for the real world. There are so many beneficial aspects technology brings to learning, especially for math. Technology has made it possible to bring a more visual aspect to math. Geometer Sketchpad is one such technology that can help students visualize how shapes, angles, area, etc are all related when you manipulate variables. It also helps you to visualize patterns and solve problems.
The only reason why I said that teachers need to be careful on how they use technology in the classroom is because sometimes students will become too dependent on it. From my tutoring experiences, I've seen many students use the calculator to add simple things they should be able to do in their head (such as 2+5). It's great that they are able to use technology to solve their problems, but it's not great if they can no longer rely on themselves to solve simple problems. The choice I think teachers should be given is on how they want to implement technology into the classroom - what they believe is the most beneficial way to prepare their students for the future.
Hello! My name is Rachel and I am from Homer Glen Illinois (which is a southwest suburb of Chicago). Why am I here at the U of I to become a math teacher ? Well that is a long story, but I can give you the short version. To tell you that this was always my dream would be a lie. To tell you that I always loved math, would also be a straight up lie. In fact, math used to be my most dreaded subject. Fortunately I had a great math teacher my 7th and 8th grade year, who changed my mind about the subject. I was moved up to the honors track, and soon, math became the only subject that came easiest to me.
Now it's time to answer the part of how did I decided on becoming a math teacher. While I was walking down the Quad one day my sophomore year, I thought to myself, what the heck am I going to do with a math major?! I panicked and called my mom, and of course she told me to calm down - that I had plenty of time to figure things out. So I started to think of possibilities, and that's when I realized that I have always enjoyed helping people. So I took Math 199, which gave me the chance to tutor Urbana High School Students in math. It was a great experience, and made me realize that this could be the path for me.
So here I am now, in the education program offered here at the U of I. I'm excited for the experiences the program will offer me and will hopefully help me on my way to becoming a great math teacher. I want to be the kind of teacher that makes math interesting, fun, and engaging. But more importantly, I want to be able to convey to my future students how math is applicable to their everyday life and IS important.
