5720 Blog Post 1

After reading LaMont's article, I have determined that a lot of truth exists in the article. What she writes in her article, "Gender, Technology, and Libraries," is essentially that in the Information Technology (IT) field, women are largely underrepresented. The reasons given include occupational segregation, the duties of females to their households, and an underestimation of technological skills held by women, meaning they underestimate themselves. I must say that the statistics reveal truth in all areas, but they do not flatter the female population. When research proves that men statistically make more money than women holding the same or similar jobs, I see an element of discrimation at hand. Whereas I fully believe women are as capable as men at most jobs, I have often thought women are underrepresented largely by their own fault. LaMont says that women do not place themselves in the same league as their male counterparts, indicating that some of the doors that women see as closed to them are only closed because they failed to open them.

Personally, I feel that I am very strong in the area of technology. I was raised in the decade when Internet first took flight. I grew up with MSDOS computer games and writing in Wordpad. Since, I have seen technology evolve into things I never thought possible. The things we can do now that we were not able to do before are continually amazing. As a teacher, I have been trained to use wide array of technology in my classroom. I learned to use these tools early on in my career, as I felt they were necessary to facilitate the curriculum in a way that would maintain engagement. I use a Smart Board, projector, desktop computer, and document camera almost daily in my classroom. I also do my best to help others on my campus use their technology to create and carry out assignments. Because I feel that technology is the gateway to engagement in the classroom, I do my best to be a leader on my campus when it comes to technology.

I realize that I still have a lot to learn, however. Keeping up with an ever-changing array is always going to be a challenge. In order to stay abreast of the technological advancements, I will need to research and keep an open mind. I think one of the biggest issues is supply. If I see a tool that can enhance engagement in the classroom, I may or may not get to use it. I should, however, discuss the tool with the administrators on campus to see if attainment is a possibility. The other factor is always time. If supply is not an issue, I will have to find the time to learn how to use and implement new tools. But, I do feel that research can lead to mastery.

I think I would most like to learn how to use technology in small groups or stations. At Mackenzie, we've done some experimenting with small group instruction and attempt to include technology as one of our stations. I would mostly like to know more about using programs like PREZI and PHOTOSTORY to enhance technology stations. A wealth of cool programs lies at our fingertips; I just need to know where to find it.