Positive Technology Experience

My entire education happened in a tiny (okay…miniscule) school called North Dickinson that held a max capacity of about four-hundred students, K-12. To say the school had no money would be an understatement. Our sport uniforms were well-used (we called them “vintage” to make ourselves feel better) and our computers even more so (laptops? say what?). The students’ “technological education” was minimal, at best. However, my junior year, I had pre-calculus with the one teacher at North Dickinson who at least attempted to bring technology into the classroom. Now, for the sake of driving home just how helpful technology was to my pre-calc experience, I must tell you that I HATE math. Despise it, actually. I mean come on; math with letters? Letters should form words, words should form paragraphs, paragraphs should form…you get the picture. As for numbers? They should be kept as simple as 2 + 2. In my opinion.

            But anyway. Junior pre-calc. After half a year of struggling to pay attention and maintain a decent grade, our teacher (Mrs. I, I’ll call her), devised a plan to get us all excited about numbers (yaaay). Mrs. I decided that we would form groups, pick a math concept, and create a video that would give future students an overview of said topic. My group made a video to teach sin, co-sin, and tangent (you know, soh-cah-toa?). It was about an Indian tribe who held a great race, which a young underdog won (he was the metaphorical “runt”), despite getting a foot injury which he healed by sticking his foot in a lake and saying, “ah…soak-a-toe-ah”….get it? Well anyway, to high school juniors, it was hilarious. But I digress.

            Mrs. I’s use of technology was genius. That week of creating our video was the most fun I’d ever had in a math class. I learned how to use the computer in ways I never had before; I learned how to record footage and then make a cohesive video with the recordings, by manipulating scenes and adding music. I learned a new way to use technology-not in a computer class as might be expected, but in a math class. I had a newfound desire to discover more fun ways to use technology Not only was I excited to go to math class for that week dedicated to creating our video, but even after that, I found that I had a renewed interest in math itself. It didn’t seem quite so boring anymore. Which, considering afore mentioned hatred of math, is saying something. I began to wish that my other teachers could find a fun way to incorporate technology into their classrooms…they didn’t. But I still carry the hope that when I become a teacher (and undoubtedly some of my students will find Social Studies boring, though I can’t imagine why…), I will be able to awake a passion for the subject in them, with my own creative use of technology.