Part 1: Reading Reflection

The main concept I got from the reading Meaningful Learning with Technology was that the most effective way to use technology in a classroom setting is to learn with technology instead of strictly from technology. Technology seems like a portal full of information, but this article clearly shows that it should not just be to distribute information but rather used as a tool to show what you know. Pulling out our smartphones and googling something we don’t know the answer to is something that our society has gotten very accustomed to, so one idea that really surprised me what the statement that technology is not more effective than a teacher.

            Technology should be used as a tool that supports your knowledge by providing information representing your beliefs, ideas, and understandings, however it also offers new perspectives on worldviews and concepts that differ from personal opinions. A form of technology that allows for easy communication between people is social media. It allows for collaboration and the ability to share new knowledge between communities. Technology is very useful in the classroom and is a tool for teachers to articulate and show what they know. In my physics class, my professor uses PowerPoint to highlight important facts and better explain them. Certain types of technology also offer hands on activities for students. In my biology lab we use a spectrophotometer to measure different characteristics of solutions, and it allows the students to figure this out on their own after instruction from the professor.