Blog Post #5

     Twitter is a useful and fun tool to use when building PLN's and communicating with others. Personally, I haven't used Twitter all that much, and the only tweets and follows I've completed were for EME2040. However, after following education accounts, I have found that I now have a new source of information that could help me with a potential career in education. If I do become more involved in the Twitter sphere, I think that I could make connections with other educators and stay up to date with all the new developments in education.

    The digital divide is a huge issue that is largely ignored, and is one that is intertwined with the issue of poverty in America and abroad. The main causes of the digital divide are the lack of funding in poor areas, and impoverished areas as a whole. One could look towards the economy, lack of jobs, and capitalism as the underlying reason for why certain regions are poorer than others. But the fact remains that families in poorer neighborhoods are less likely to have enough money to purchase computers, educational technology, etc. As an educator, I would have to be mindful of all situations students may be in, and I'd have to accommodate everyone so nobody is left behind. This could involve modifying assignments so they don't have to be completed virtually, and lending school/community resources such as letting students use computer labs to complete assignments.

    In the age of computers, educational software must be utilized in the classroom. The main software I would use as a highschool educator is Google Classroom, which allows students be part of a virtual classroom where assignments and important information is displayed. This would act as a virtual assignment admission space, as well as a permanent calendar and schedule of classroom related activities. Another software I would use is Turnitin, which is a software dedicated to proof-reading and fact checking essays for similarities between other essays. I would use this software to ensure students are not cheating with their writings.