The Journey Begins

Hi There! My name is Aliya and welcome to my blog for EME2040: Introduction to Educational Technology. In this blog I will explore the applications of technology within the classroom and document my experience throughout the semester as I dive into teaching with technology.  Thanks for visiting my blog! Let’s get started.

First things first, here’s a little about me; I am currently a senior at Florida State University pursuing my Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a minor degree in Education. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia I was exposed to the arts from a young age and have always loved to perform on stage and on screen. However, now my focus centers around outreach and arts education. Something that I am passionate about is cultivating young voices and providing students with the confidence to explore their ideas on stage. I love creating and devising theatrical performance in any capacity.

In my personal experience I have encountered a wide range of technology use within the classroom. I have also experienced many different types of classroom. As a student I attended a Montessori school- a hands-on learning environment, online virtual school, and public schools. Therefore I have seen many different approaches to teaching with (or without) technology.  Most notably, I was homeschooled for a semester and kept on track with my home state’s standards and curriculum by attending virtual school. Videos, interactive activities, and online worksheets were all utilized by this program. By creating engaging assignments, virtual school was able to keep my attention in subjects like history and science. This was completely different from Montessori schooling which taught lessons through hands on demonstration and had very little automated technology in the classroom. Because of these experiences I can understand the benefits of technologically connected classrooms and screen-free learning and I am excited to learn more about the applications of technology in the classroom.

Through this class I hope to understand how to integrate and utilize technology to the benefit of students. Furthermore, something I find interesting is the debate about student privacy and the new challenges schools and teachers face when utilizing technology. I aim to better understand the multiple sides of the argument through the discussions of educational technology in the classroom. Lastly, I think the advancement of technology is interesting in general. So, I am curious and eager to interact with current and upcoming technologies which may be helpful to teachers in the future. I can’t wait for a great semester!