Bella Roumain

ED 199, Section 01
12/7/21

Evolving
technology is becoming an
essential part in every field
in the modern world. When
used properly, it is a great
tool to enhance students'
learning and it adds a lot of
variety to the activities. It
has the ability to connect
students all over the world
and even connect students virtually during the pandemic. Schools had to change their curriculum
and design new plans that could be done online. Administrators were pushed to utilize and find
new technology tools to ensure that the students' learning continued. This also contributes to the
professional learning communities embedded in the school system because they had to work
together to brainstorm creative solutions. After listening to administrators speak to ED 199, I've
learned that team-work and collaboration is key to being successful.
I think that one of the silver linings of COVID was that we realized the power and
possibilities that we have at our fingertips. Everyone learned something new that allowed them to
try to normalize their daily life during an unprecedented time.
Matt Miller brought a new light on how to utilize technology in education. Keeping
students engaged is a challenge and it involves an element of fun and variety. Kids are more
likely to participate in learning if they enjoy it, also games and fun helps them remember it better.
I made an EdWordle as my digital artifact and I included words that came to mind when I thought
about his book. I emphasized the words "technology," "social," and "visuals." Chapter 4 and 6 of
Tech Like a Pirate stuck out to me the most. In Chapter 4, he talks about how problem-solving
skills can also be incorporated into the games which can be applied in the real world. Then in
Chapter 6, he talks about the importance of visuals in the classroom. Using pictures and videos to
go along with the lesson brings the concept alive and when students see the visual outside of class
they'll connect it back to something that they've learned or experienced.
 The Asset Based Thinking strength that I brought while reading his book was
open-mindedness. I knew that his book was about how to integrate technology into your
classroom but I wasn't expecting to learn about all of the benefits of his ideas.
Miller's book supports the College of Education's mission statement of "Learning from,
Contributing to, and Applying Theory and Research." He's dedicated to learning about new
teaching styles and also teaching others about his ideas. I can tell that he wants to help improve
the education world using all the opportunities in technology. Additionally, I think that if teachers
keep up-to-date on technology, students will be more motivated to use it because they watch their
role-models use it. In this day in age, kids were born with technology so naturally they can
maneuver new tech faster which means that the teacher can also learn from their students. I
remember during my teacher interview with my past French teacher, she said to listen and learn
from your students because it will make you a better teacher.
As a student in ED 199, I can say that I've listened to many speakers with many different
backgrounds tell their story. However, for Matt Miller I've read his book and learned a lot about
his missions and philosophies before I meet him. These experiences are helping me develop an
image of what kind of teacher I want to be, and how I'm going to show future employers that I'm
a Butler prepared educator.