Response to '5 Reasons Why Educators Need To Embrace Internet Technologies'

As educators, it is our job to give our students the tools to succeed in the job market as well as in daily life. Teachers are able to open the door to many new experiences and opportunities for their students. Because of the growing amount of jobs related to the internet and other internet related technology, teachers cannot ignore the fact that this is an area in which their students must be familiar with. I think many teachers are wary of the internet because they immediately think of social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace as well as recreational websites such as YouTube and Blogger. However, what is not advertised is the educational value that these websites hold when used in various ways. There are many videos on YouTube that offer supplemental information for lessons and there are thousands of blogs that offer a lot of educational material as well. There are also many websites to help students become more involved with their learning. Some websites offer games that reward the player for answering math or science question, others have verb conjugation timers that help with learning languages and others help students set goals for themselves. One of my favorite websites is 43things.com where you can post 43 things you want to achieve. The website keeps track of your progress and allows others to see your goals and give you encouragement. I think this could be used in the classroom to help students further their academic careers and think of the future. What educators also need to understand is that by adding technology into the classroom, old methods of teaching are not being eliminated. Using the internet in the classroom is just adding another resource and tool into your bag of tricks.