This blog is designed as a practice excercise for EDM 510.
Our world is constantly changing, especially in regards to the use of technology. There are so many advances that have been made, and our children are growing up in a different world. Many of them are carrying cell phones, gaming, and participating in social networks; yet in the classroom lessons may remain stagnant as the textbook anthology is used as the main vehicle of instruction.
Now, as a teacher I do not solely rely on "traditional" instruction strategies and have subscribed to the Constructivist approach, but yet I lag behind in the technological advances that have been made. There are many tools that can be incorporated into the classroom to be interactive and enhance student's learning. What are some of the tools that have been successful that you have experienced as a teacher, student and/or parent? How was the technology used and incorporated into the instruction? Did students share or interact with the technology?
Share your ideas and experiences as I discover a whole new world. A world that I am not a participant in. Most of the time I forget my cell phone, just learned how to text, photostory, wiki, and do not have a Facebook. Though I am intrigued, and would love to hear your experiences and thoughts with the use of technology.
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ReplyDeleteI use my Smartboard and document camera everyday in my Kindergarten classroom. The use of the Smartboard allows the students to be connected with prevalent media and it also allows the students to interact while learning concepts. I have found that using the Smartboard keeps my students attention better than just a white board. It also makes my job a lot easier. With the Smartboard I have everything I need at my fingertips. I incorporate the Smartboard as a reading and math center. The students are able to go to favorites, find the interactive website that addresses what we are learning, and play the interactive game. The students love to go to the Smartboard center and they work really well in this center.
ReplyDeleteUsing the document camera allows me to show my students exactly what I want them to do. This way the information on the board is the same information that is on each student’s paper. I have found that students are better able to follow the directions and understand what I am teaching.
What a great idea to use the smartboard as part of your stations. Students are familar with the boards, and does not require extensive work from the teacher to maintain.
ReplyDeleteI just hooked up my Promethean board, which is similar to the Smartboard. My students are so excited. How many students do you have at that station?
I use technology everyday in my classroom; I love it! I use the SMART board to present power point presentations that are accompanied with guided notes, so the students fill in the blanks as we learn about the new lesson. Then we play games on the SMART board like Grammar Jeopardy. Also when we do a class practice set of problems, I use the ELMO, document camera, to project the problems onto the SMART board, and the students come up to the board and use the digital markers to select answers. We use the board for brainpop lessons that introduce students to new topics; they are great for orienting the students to the lesson.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think technology is great for classroom use; it really gets the students involved. We have been in school for 8 weeks, and I've only used the text book once for one class for one period. The textbook is becoming obsolete, and it is mostly used for reference in my classroom.
I am currently waiting for my Smart board to be installed in my classroom. I can wait to use it for communication purposes with my students. I also use Ipads and Ipods for activities and communication and I am in the process of setting up picture schedules and a PECS (picture exchange communication system) system on the Ipods. By the end of the semester, I am hoping all my students will have their own Ipod. We also have our own wireless Internet set up for the two Project reach classes so we can utilize our laptops and our Mac for different learning opportunities. I use technology for activities, communication, and to teach my extended state standards for my students. All of them are different. I have one ninth grader, one eleventh grader and three that are technically seniors and have already completed AAA, so I just work on transitional, social, and communication skills with them.
ReplyDeleteKevin- Wow, I am amazed how your textbook has become a resource for us because of technology. That is amazing. I also try to use my textbook as a resouce because I find that my students get bored with it. I remember when our school had to evacuate for lead, my students told their parents not to worry because Mrs. Creighton never used her textbooks :)You have me thinking, since I teach the younger grades I could use the powerpoints/flip charts to teach my whole group instruction. The students could follow the instruction on the board. Great for those visual learners.
ReplyDeleteKbox-
Technology is a great tool for our learners. That is wonderful that you have laptops and wireless internet available. As well as the Ipads. The Ipods that you meantion, are they the same as the Ipods that are used to play music, like a walkman? It is great that you can put their individual schedule up with icon. I have a picture schedule for one of my students made out of two manilla folders, and it is very cumbersome.
I am not yet a teacher and so my first reaction to this question is that I have not had much experience with technology. However, that is not true. I have had four five classes over the past year that were entirely on-line at USA. One of my classes that met in person had a good bit of online requirements, such as taking tests and participating in threaded discussion. I would not say that any of my activities so far have been heavy into technology. But the fact that I think that using PowerPoint for presentations or participating in on-line threaded discussion is "low tech" demonstrate how much technology permeates education.
ReplyDeleteBDuke- I feel the same way as you, even though I am a teacher and have a classroom. I feel like a am VERY "low-tech," there is so much available that I am not aware of.
ReplyDeleteIn my fourth grade classroom I use my Smart Board and Elmo, document camera all during the day. My students love the interaction of the Smart Board. My students love being able to work together and create projects and activities using the Smart Board as a way to showcase their finished products. Technology is an amazing thing. My only drawback is that not all my students have access to a computer and the internet at home. K. Byrd
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough when teaching in Mississippi to be at a school with a principal that did a lot of grant writing and was very creative with funding. We had at least four student computers in every classroom and Promethean boards in about half of them. I also found that the Promethean boards were excellent for keeping student attention. We also had handheld "study buddies" that came with math and reading cartridges for each grade level and PLATO systems which were playstation 2s that came with a set of reading and math games. The students loved using these in their free time! We also subscribed to several websites such as brainpop.com, study island and my skills tutor which was great for helping struggling students with specific skills. We were in an area that was hit hard by Katrina and still recovering. Most of the students did not have the internet at home and many of them didn't even have a computer. I think access to these resources at school gave them the edge they needed to overcome the stereotypes of their demographic and be successful in school.
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