Strengths and Weaknesses in Technology

As an educator, what are your present strengths and weaknesses in technology? How do you plan to use your strengths? How do you plan to address the weaknesses?

One strength I have as an educator is my prior experience with technology. I am fortunate to have grown up being around computers, both at home and at school. Although we have come a long way from dial-up modems and labs filled with green-screened Apples, experiencing and using technology from an early age has made me very comfortable with it. I am confident in my abilities for basic troubleshooting with computer hardware and software, and enjoy teaching and helping others in these areas. As a student I was encouraged to experiment with various computer programs and applications, and because both my parents work in technological fields I also learned a lot at home. Throughout my college education, I used a wide variety of technology and media (not limited to computers) to design and implement lessons both to my classmates and in a classroom. Because of the depth and breadth of my experiences, I am able to use various technologies and media in classroom instruction and assessment on a daily basis. I am excited when learning to use new technologies or programs that become available. I am also eager to teach others, both my students and colleagues, how to effectively use technology to share ideas and information.

A weakness I have as an educator is lack of preparedness. Often when I see something new I get so excited about using it in my classroom that I do so without really learning how to use it. This is a problem because I try to teach my students how to use something I do not understand, or I try to figure out how to get something to work while my students (not-so) patiently wait. This often causes frustration for everyone involved, which results in lowered learning outcomes or abandoning the attempt altogether. I am guilty of trying to do too much at one time, which generally has a negative impact on the effectiveness of the technology. Instead of trying to incorporate several technology components in a lesson, I can address this weakness by being more prepared and knowledgeable with technology before using it in my classroom. I also need to be more deliberate about the technology I use to ensure it is not just "cool" but that it has an educational purpose.