When I think about what motivates me, I think about where I will be in the future. The harder I work the farther closer to completing my goals I will be. My motivation comes from both being intrinsic and extrinsic. I want my family to 
have a comfortable life because I have been motivated. I also want to be smarter and gain more knowledge through my life. Being well rounded is something I have always wanted to be and I think being a little bit of both is a great quality to have.
What motivates you? What do think motivates your students or the people around you? There are so many reasons why or why not we are fully engaged in something. When motivation is apparent we see how much harder we work towards our end result. For students, there are many factors for being motivated and engaged, and the first thing I think of is getting good grades and getting in a good college. The end result of all the hard work is landing a great job.
A students motivation can stem from the teacher teaching the lessons. “Teachers have a lot to do with their students’ motivational level. A student may arrive in class with a certain degree of motivation. But the teacher’s behavior and teaching style, the structure of the course, the nature of the assignments and informal interactions with students all have a large effect on student motivation.” (Kirk, K., 2015, para 1) As a teacher, we do have a major role in how our student engage in the materials we present them. We can come up with many creative ways which will help students stay motivated which will allow them to do their best.
Technology plays a role in motivation. There are many exciting apps and programs that teachers can use to switch up the normal lectures that usually happen in classrooms. I thought the video below explained the importance and need for technology in the classroom and explains how we can effectively use it in the classroom. “One of the major benefits of introducing technology into the classroom is the effect it has on the students. In traditional teaching (lecturing, working from a textbook, and taking notes, for example), it’s easy for students to fall into a passive role. Even the best students who have a natural passion for learning can have trouble paying attention to a teacher’s lecture. But when technology is invloved, students are more likely to be engaged in learning. Students need to press buttons, think out problems, and manipulate the tools they have to achieve a goal. Educational technology can improve focus among students and it caters to students who learn independently and to those who are more collaborative.” (Hendricks, D., 2013, para 4)
When technology is first integrated into a school system there are many steps to take to make sure it is effective. The link below gives a good overview of steps to take. Taking the proper steps to integrating technology is what will ensure the positive impact it will have on the entire school system.
http://gettingsmart.com/2014/02/5-steps-effective-technology-integration/
Here are a few pros of integrating technology in the classroom:
More personalization of lesson plans
Improve focus
Boost Self Esteem
Learn skills such as typing and researching
Learning becomes more fun and interesting
Here are a few cons of integrating technology in the classroom:
Costly to the school system
Distracting to students
Could provide a disconnect between teacher and student
Constant monitoring
I personally feel that the pro’s out weight the con’s in integrating technology in the classroom. Many programs offer discounts to schools and with proper presentation to the students they can understand the importance for staying on task with their classroom technology use. I do believe that engagement and motivation becomes greater when technology is involved. Especially because we see use of technology taking over the world and it is important to keep up with what is going on outside of the classroom. This will allow our students to be successful outside of the classroom and in their future in education.
I am currently not in the classroom and do not personally know many of the obstacles that teachers face (because they are all different throughout the school systems except for the obvious). I want to know what are the types of struggles you may be facing when it comes to technology use in the classroom?
Kirk, K. (2015) Motivating Student, Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/motivation.html
Hendricks, D. (2013) A Look at Recent Findings on Technology in the Classroom, Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-hendricks/technology-education_b_2867458.html
Cox., J. (2014) benefits OF technology in the Classroom, Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/benefits-technology-classroom
My World in Education 