Blog post #2  Stages of Technology Integration:
I found the Stages of Technology Integration to reflect my personal experience with technology.  I think I am in the adaption phase but fall back into the adoption phase when learning a new tech tool.  The Entry and Adoption phases were easy as I was not challenged or frustrated.  

The current phase of adaption is rewarding yet frustrating, a true learning phase.  I love mastering a new tool and sharing it with my colleagues and friends, but the process can be painful.  This class is a perfect example of the joys and frustrations of this phase.  The new tools are great and fun, but I lack the foundational skills to navigate them with ease.  So I am often frustrated by trying to figure out how to learn those foundational skills in order to use the cool tool presented in class.  I am not native to technology and feel my age and lack of experience when I attempt to perform a task that is easy for others but aggravating for me. I've tried to keep up with technology and I'm not afraid or averse to learning but I do get lost along the way.  I tend to learn only what is necessary at the moment and want everything to be user friendly and easy.  A good example is my television.  I don't watch TV but use Netflix on my computer.  I have to ask my son to set up the cable on the television, not because I can't do it but I don't want to take the time to learn.  Instead of learning how to use Netflix on my television, I just watch the movies on my laptop. 

I took this class to push myself to move beyond my comfort zone and really explore new tools to use in the classroom.  Before embarking on my new tech adventure, I learned only what I needed  and while I was not resistant to employ technology, I didn't spend enough time dedicated to learning new tools or using them enough to become tech savvy.  For example, when the district gave every classroom a smart board, I was in the Entry phase and unhappy as it took up space and I was afraid my students might break it.  I was annoyed that it was placed in the way of my white board and didn't want it.  I started to use it to show educational videos and slowly tried it for interactive lessons.  I still need to learn more but the smart board saved me on many occasions. I realized I was moving from adoption to adaption when I started encouraging my co-workers to use google docs, created google docs of each teacher's schedule, and even became annoyed when one therapist refused to use a google doc to plan therapy times with the group. 

I hope that I can be solidly in the Adaption phase and start the Appropriation phase by the end of our technology class. I am still learning shortcuts in pages and need to learn so many foundational skills so it may take a while.  I am more excited and motivated since starting this class. When my computer was stolen this summer, I had not set up find my mac so I could not track it.  Luckily, the pawn shop ran the serial number and we were able to retrieve it but it took a month and everything was wiped off my computer.  So I tell everyone to set up find my mac and find my iPhone and I feel like a former smoker as I 'preach' to anyone that will listen about the benefits of technology.