Guest Post: Technology from a Teacher's Perspective

Today's guest post is written by high school Social Studies teacher, Tom DeGennaro.  Tom approached our Technology & Media Team and asked if he could write a post about how he uses technology in his classroom.  Below is his guest blog post.  You can also find Tom online on Twitter.

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I recently recieved a IPEVO 2 to use in my classroom this year but was not too excited to use the technology because of my limited experience with technology.   I graduated high school in 1983, right before the beginning of the PC craze.  We learned how to type on typewriters that you manually had set at the end of the page.  You had to correct your mistakes with an eraser pencil with a kind of broom on the end.   If you were lucky you would not rip the rice paper you used in the typewriter and have to start that page all over.  Then at the tail end of my undergrad studies, we got to take computer courses at GVSC.  I took a class call BASIC computers thinking it was a course on how to use the computer, you know, simple things like how to turn a computer on.  NOPE.  It was a course on how to write B.A.S.I.C. computer programs (I am still not sure what that means.) So I set in a classroom with 30 "nerdy" looking guys with pocket protectors and filled out my "go to" sheets to communicate with computers.  After that class I did not want anything to do with computers or technology. 

While in graduate school I bought my first laptop with an early edition of Windows.  It was a new revelation.  You could make spelling mistakes and correct them instantly.  WOW!  (Something I am doing as I type this.)  But beyond using the computer for word processing I did not have much use for it.  But since I started teaching I have become more and more familiar with more uses.  I now use email, instant messaging, PowerPoint, video maker, spreadsheets, and many other programs.  I can even buy my baseball cards on the computer.  So I have become more comfortable with technology but still am weary when learning new things.  But I am here to tell ya, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

The IPEVO is evidence of that.  I noticed with the contraption you had to download the software.  I thought "ya right like I can do that."  My five year old can do it but I cannot.  But it was easy.  I just put it into the disc drive and it loaded all by itself.  Next I thought what would I use this for?  But I use it almost every day to look at different historical documents with the whole class or to look at charts and graphs to make sure kids know how to read those things.  It has been a wonderful addition to my classroom.  And I did not have to ask anybody to show me how to use the darn thing. 

So I guess what I am trying to say is don't be intimidated by technology use it.  Try out new programs and put them into your teaching tool chest to help the students to become life long learners.  I do ask one favor, can anybody show me how to use my cell phone?  Na, I ask my five year old.