Blog Post #11

I think the most interesting educational use that is non-computer-based technology is simply writing utensils. Although many teachers today try to find activities that are not paper based (hand written), it is still the best and most convenient tool. Teachers can find all sorts of activities rather than just worksheets and tests to do in the classroom, which involve the use of many different utensils. Also different utensils give children a chance to be more creative and I think that is important in elementary education. If teachers allow children to be creative it gives them a chance to express themselves more and they can do this by using different writing utensils like crayons, markers, colored pencils, gel pens etc. Writing utensils also give children a chance to simply learn how to write which leads to better literacy skills and also gives them a chance to express themselves in writing and saying how they feel. This writing then leads to better writing skills. Heather Benson, author of the article “Emergent Writing” from pbs.org PBS Teachers, said, “It is as important for teachers to provide a variety of authentic writing experiences as it is to provide opportunities to explore and learn about reading. Incorporating writing into your daily schedule is essential to supporting children's emergent literacy.” Most writing can simply not be done without a writing utensil (pencil, pen etc) therefore I think it is a very important tool to have and always keep within the classroom. I also feel that it is very important to keep a wide variety of different utensils, even some from other countries!