Chapter 4 Reflection

This week's reading has been the most valuable so far to my content area. My content area is Math. I have learned a lot of ways I can use technology within my classroom when I'm a teacher.

There is one thing that is bothering me, and has been bothering me since I did my first field experience. I am finding that students are too dependent upon technology and not enough on themselves. Students are lacking the knowledge of the basic facts. I know of 6th grade students that use their fingers to add on if a calculator is not available. These students are also lost when it comes to the basic multiplication and division facts. The students are very knowledgeable about the calculator and how to use it. However, it takes longer to perform these basic calculations on a calculator than it does to do them in your head. I think it is hard to justify the use of calculators when it is replacing what I consider a very valuable life skill of knowing the basic facts. Are these students going to carry calculators with them in a grocery story to ensure they do not go over the budgeted amount? I see the value of using calculators in doing some calculations, however, I think that our elementary teachers have become too dependent on their students using the calculators instead of teaching them how to preform these operations.

I have enjoyed creating the spreadsheets in Excel. I can see this being used as a valuable tool in many of the content areas.