Blog Journal #2

     I've been using Microfot word for as long as I can remember. You'd think I'd be a pro by now, but I still find myself having to Google "how to change the line spacing on a Word document" or "how to do a hanging indent". I have used Google Docs in the past and I enjoy using it. I wouldn't say I prefer it to MS Word, but it's nice to have a place that saves all of my files online instead of taking up space on my computer which has very limited storage. When it comes to essays, research papers, and the like I tend to lean towards Word, simply because I was taught to think that was the preferred method. But I do find myself using Google Docs to take notes,  journal, and practice poetry. I like that it auto-saves my documents because I can be pretty airheaded at times and I forget to click that god-forsaken "save" button. 

    The ISTE Standard for Educators that resonates with me most is Collaborator. One would think that once you graduate and have that diploma in hand, the learning is done and the doing comes next. But, as an educator, I feel that the learning never stops. Collaborating with colleagues can show you new methods of learning you may have never thought of on your own. Taking the opportunity to collaborate and co-learn with students can show students that we are only human and we don't have all the answers and that that is OK. It can also give insight into the way our students learn and teach us how to best meet their needs in the classroom. And of course, collaborating with parents is so important because who better to advise us on how to manage students than the very people who brought them up? It's also important to create that sort of interpersonal rapport with families in your classroom in order to properly demonstrate cultural competency when handling a room filled with children from all different walks of life. 

    As for the label of "digital native", I do agree with its implications. As someone who was raised in a more technologically advanced era than my teachers, I have seen firsthand the effects it has on the learning environment. I think that technology is a great tool for learning and the teachers I have had in the past have been great at adapting to the digital age. Technology has been a great resource for my learning and has saved my hand from cramping after writing long essays and many trips to the library. I'm sure that when I am a teacher myself, technology will have advanced far beyond what it is today and I look forward to learning new teaching tools from both my colleagues and students.