Miss Bartram's Classroom

Reflection #1

Educational Technology Bill of Rights


   
Brad Flickinger makes many valid suggestions in his blog post “Educational Technology Bill of Rights.” In education, people seem to look at certain technology as a distraction for students. Brad Flickinger, on the other hand, advises that teachers take advantage of certain technologies and give students basic rights when using them. I agree with Flickinger when he states that students are not going to stop using technologies like cell phones, Facebook, and Twitter. I think it is smart to reach students through these means, but other ways should be used as well. It also is important to ensure that students are taught appropriate ways to use these technologies and do not abuse certain privileges.
    I believe that the right to learn 21st century technology. It is important to implement these technologies that are as modern as possible so that students can keep up with the demand in their future careers. I also think it is important for teachers to continue learning and finding new and creative ways to use technology in the classroom. In most cases, it is true that students know more about different programs than teachers do, so teachers should be open to feedback and exploring new options. Other points that I fully agree with are that students have the right to be fully protected from things like cyberbullying, and that teachers should use technology to be efficient in planning and evaluating.
    The individuals that commented on this article also made many valid points. Due to financial constraints, not all schools have the opportunity to use the latest technologies. I do disagree with a lot of the comments that state that students do not have rights. Although teachers should have authority and set guidelines, students should still have choices and be treated with respect. Overall, I think that this article is very helpful in understanding the importance of technology and helped get me thinking about how I should implement the use of technology in my own classroom.

The article can be found at this link: http://www.schooltechnology.org/2011/12/29/educational-technology-bill-of-rights-for-students/