A New Look On Learning
When I was asked to describe an experience about a time I began learning about digital technologies, it was hard to think back and pick just one. I came to the conclusion that when I really started using digital technologies was when I was given a labtop to help me with my studies. In eight grade, my middle school gave my entire grade labtops to help guide us and keep us on track with our studying. Of course, as a middle schooler, I thought getting a labtop was the coolest thing. It did not even cross my mind that this was a tool that will be benefit me in my learning.
The laptops we were given had pre downloaded educational games along with softwares such as microsoft word and excel. During class, we would access websites our teachers had created which listed out our assignments and upcoming due dates. Most of the websites also had links to worksheets if we were to lose the ones we were given in class. I found the labtops to be extremely beneficial in helping me stay on track with my studies. I was never the most organized person when it came to seperating classes and paperwork from eachother. Having the labtop did all of the organization for me and I never had an issue with getting my homework done on time. I even remeber times where I was sick and missed school but was still able to stay on track with what was due the next day.
It was eye opening to see how well students responded to the use of these labtops, you would walk into class with the biggest smile on your face, sit in your seat and be anxious to learn. Every students face was glued to the brightness of the screen the labtop gave off. Instead of the teachers being upset, they were just as happy and motivated to see us wanting to learn.
Having the labtop was a privelage and I learned to take advantage of the benefits it gave me. Not only did the labtop keep me organized and on track with my homework, it also made me feel more mature and more inclined to get my work done. It never occured to me that I was taking part in digital learning but looking back now, I realize that entire point of having the labtops were to help students take the transition and to prepare them for a higher level of learning.