The Role of Technology in a Classroom

Technology is all around us, without it the world would be a much different place. Every thing in our lives is in some way connected to or touched by technology. If I ask the questions; How was it made, how did I get it, what is it made from, and how is it used? I can’t think of anything that is not somehow connected to technology. The thing about technology is that it is constantly changing, advancing, and becoming more and more a part of our lives. So the question is, how do we prepare for a technologically advanced future?

As a teacher it is my desire to incorporate technology as a teaching resource so that students can become familiar with the tools, learn skills they will need for their role they will play in the future, promote responsibility, and most importantly to inspire student learning and creativity. I feel it is important to model and promote digital learning by using digital tools to assist with teaching and assessing lessons that I teach. I plan on doing this by integrating spreadsheets that help students and myself to keep track of their progress and grades, using computers to help bring in videos, Web-Quests, PowerPoint presentations and, podcast's to bring lessons alive, and using a class blog to keep parents and students up to date on what is going on in the classroom. I envision creating online games, survey’s, and using online quizzes as a resource to help assess students learning in a fun and inventive way.

For students to learn the skills they need for a digital era, they need the opportunity to use the technology. I will be integrating the use of computers; digital cameras, smart boards, iPads, cell phones and any thing else that might be created technologically that can enhance students learning and creativity in the classroom. My desire is to have students manipulate the digital tools to conduct and analyze research, collaborate with others to present presentations, correspond with other students in the community, and promote student’s creativity by having students come up with solutions to real issues.

By giving students opportunities to manipulate and use technology I am promoting personal growth through learning. My vision is for my students to walk away from my class with a good foundation of knowledge and skills on technology that they can build on and use for a lifetime. I feel using technology as a teaching tool enriches students lives and helps prepare them for the future to become a flourishing member of a technological society. Here are a few videos that I feel shows the realism of how technology effects and enriches the lives of students and as a teacher how I would teach students for a digital era.

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is a social software web-page that was generated in class with a group four students. As a group of future teachers we decided that Zoho Projects is a tool we could use in being creative in delivering lesson plans. Using different social software, gives students access to different ways in which students can be creative in completing their projects. Zoho Projects is just one of many social software tools that gives students and teachers a way to participate in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others. For me as a teacher, I would have students work as a group to complete a presentation on any science lesson using Zoho projects.

I would have students use Zoho because Zoho allows students to work on the presentation simultaneously from different locations and the presentation is stored so students and teacher always have access to it. Zoho allows me to put the due dates of projects on the calendar so that students always know when the project is due. With using the time tracker application students and teachers can track how much time students spend on projects. When Students and teachers use the chat application they can converse with each other and save their conversations to look at a later time. Because everyone has access to past chats, no one can say they didn't get the information or that they can't remember what was said because chats are stored. Zoho is a great social software for students and teachers in and out of the classroom.

Annotated Video Play List on the States of Matter

Here is a play list of videos I compiled for my science lesson on Solids, liquids, and Gasses. These videos help explain and define what solids, liquids, and gasses are through examples, songs, and experiments. Hopefully these videos give students more insight to better help them understand the science lesson. These videos give students a new way of learning science that will hopefully leave a lasting impression on them.

Spreadsheets

Do larger pumpkins have more seeds? Mr.Patrick Oliver asked this question to his second graders. To answer the question that Mr. Oliver gave them, students were divided into groups and collected data by gutting different sized pumpkins and counting the seeds that each one had. Each group had to then take the information that they gathered and enter it into a pre made spreadsheet that Mr. Oliver had generated. After all the data had been entered the students made a chart to show the findings. Students then analyzed the data that they entered into the spreadsheet. At the end of the exercise the class compared the findings from prediction that they had made earlier, in this experiment the finding was yes, larger pumpkins do have more seeds.

For my class I would modify Mr. Oliver's project. Instead of answering the question, Do larger pumpkins have more seeds? I would ask my third graders the question, "Do flowers grow better if they are played music while growing?" I would have groups of students plant flowers and play different kinds of music while the flowers were growing. Each group would take measurements over the course of four weeks and write down how much the flower grew. In the end the groups would compare how well the flowers grew compared with the music that was played during the growing time. Like Mr. Oliver, I would generate a spreadsheet ahead of time so that all students had to do is enter the data that they collected. Students would then generate a bar graph to show the results of all the groups. Students would then analyze the data and be able to answer the question, Do flowers grow better when music is played to them while growing? After seeing the results on the chart, students will make a conclusion based on the data results.

Netiquettes

When thinking about internet safety in the class room, it is wise to come up with some rules for students before hand so that they understand the proper netiquettes when online. Considering that I am going to be teaching elementary aged students I have come up with an example of what I would present to a third grade class before they started to interact on the web. I have provided a link so that you may view a page that I would send home with the students to review with their parents or guardian and send back with a signature. There is also a Power Point slide show that would be shown to the students as well. Netiquette Link

Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a collaborative group learning technique. In Jigsaw, the class is broken up into groups.  Each group is assigned a topic with each student in the group a subtopic.  Each student  researches their topic and then discusses their research in a group called an expert group.  The expert group is a group of students that have been assigned the same subtopic.  In the expert group students teach each other what they have learned about the topic.  When students return to their original group the students in the group teach each other their subtopics and take a test on the knowledge they have acquired.

If I had a class that only had five computers each group would be assigned a computer.  Each person in the group would have to take turns researching their topic. Each expert group could then be assigned a computer.  In the expert group each student could add what they have learned and type it up on the computer.  When students convene back to the original group each student could bring their information onto one computer teaching the others in the group about the topics that were assigned.

There are some advantages and disadvantages to using this method.  When using Jigsaw with five computers, students learn to collaborate with each other.  When students collaborate with each other they become responsible for their own learning and learn acceptance of each other which is a great advantage in the classroom. A disadvantage of using Jigsaw in this way is time. A teacher has to give students a lot of time  to research the topic.  This could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to allow enough time for students to go through the whole Jigsaw process which can be a huge disadvantage.

Google Tools For Educators

Google has made a collection of tools that can be used in any classroom for students and teachers.  Google book search, blogger,  Geo Education, and Google docs are just a few of the tools I feel could be useful in the classroom. These are free tools that can be used by any one that has a Google account.  They are great way for teachers to use up to date technology to keep students engaged in their learning.

Google Book Search allows students to search and access current to outdated books from anywhere.  I would have my students research materials they need to do reports and presentations through this search engine. This allows students access to an endless library at their own leisure.  No more excuses as to why they can't get information when it is at a touch of a button.

Blogger is a free tool through Google that allows students or teachers to be able to communicate with others.  I would use Blogger to communicate with students and parents about upcoming events, due dates, and weekly assignments.  This way parents can keep in touch as to what is happening in class and students have access to assignments if they forget or are absent.  This also allows students to communicate with me or other students if they need help on an assignment.  It is a great way to keep in constant communication.

Geo Education has many applications that can be used, I have chosen Google Sky to use with my students to learn about astronomy.  By using this tool I can pull up what we are learning about, such as planets, stars and comets in real time outer space.  Teachers can pull up space through the Hubble telescope to get a real view.  By bringing real pictures into class,  students have knowledge of what space looks like without having to leave a classroom.

One of the advantages of using the tool Google Docs in my class is it allows students to collaborate with each other in real time to produce a document or presentation.  Students no longer have to meet up and have one student type while others are giving information.  This tool allows students to work on a presentation or document simultaneously.  Students can work from any location at any time and collaborate with others.