Its How You Use It

I never really thought about this concept. Its not only about making sure that you bring technology into the classroom, but its how you bring it in. What benefit will the students have if we just simply bring in a tablet or a computer program to teach a lesson if we don't know how to use it to its fullest potential? I could so easily walk into a classroom with my laptop, thinking that I am going to revolutionize the classroom, but what if I don't know all of the functions of the laptop, what if I'm not familiar with what it has to offer? All I will be doing to the classroom of students if confusing them rather than teaching them. According to the article "How Technology Can Transform Classroom", by Jesse M. Langley, "Just getting new technologies into old classrooms isn’t enough. Reaching the true potential of technology’s transformational ability requires changing how we view technology". I read this and started thinking, how do I view technology? Do I fully appreciate it? Do I even know what its capable of? After thinking for a while I realized, I don't really know everything that technology has to offer. I don't know everything there is to know about the ipad, or the computer, or the different programs that are out there, but I do know that as a future teacher I will be putting in as much effort as I can to learn everything there is to learn. I owe it to my future students.

http://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/how-technology-can-transform-classrooms/

Thou Shalt Not Have Fun!

"There is no commandment that says 'Thou halt not have fun!'". This was my favorite quote from the video link posted below. I stumbled upon this youtube clip while I was doing some research on technology and education. I thought it would be beneficial to share this clip with the class because of its helpful tips about technology in the classroom, as well as is humor that goes along with it. Technology in the classroom does not only important for the student, but for the teachers as well. According to Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, "Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who don't use technology will be replaced by those who do". This is a powerful thought to wrap your head around. No body will force you to accommodate the technology urge, but if you don't it will be at your own expense.

Even the Little Ones

I am a substitute aide at my elementary school and have been for the past three years. Over the years I have noticed some changes in my elementary school. The old blackboards have been abandoned, the roll in over head projectors have been rolled away, and new smart technology has been installed in every classroom throughout the school. While I was sitting in the classroom, waiting for the teacher to leave for her lunch period, I looked around. Every student was hard at work, completing their classwork assignments with the teachers help, but based off of the work projected on the screen. I wonder how it would have been different 50 years ago, if a teacher projected something on the screen. Would the students be as attuned to and open to the technology in the classroom. After the teacher left I conducted my own little experiment with the second graders. I went around to different students and asked what their favorite kinds things to learn in class are. Some kids liked when the teacher read them stories out loud, and others liked when they did coloring activities, but many of the students said they liked it when their teacher showed pictures on the screen or when they watched movie excerpts. These are the kinds of lessons that the students are going to take away with them in the future. Technology really does make a difference.

How Powerful are Powerpoints?

Sometimes I wonder how useful powerpoints are in the classroom. While they are a good way to present information to a large group of students at once, how effective are they in the everyday classroom setting? I have been sitting in classes since coming to college that have shown me a large variety of different teaching methods. I have seen teachers teach through solid lecture, I have seen teaching through example, and I have seen teaching through student teaching, along with much more. Once of the things that I have noticed with myself however is that when I am sitting in class that is straight lecture, I will pay more attention to that in comparison to a class where the teacher reads from powerpoint slides. Why is this? I remember when powerpoints where a "new thing" in the classroom. They were innovative, different, and something that would catch the students attention. however now they seem dull, and played out. Why am I going to listen to a lecture the is being read straight off of a slide projected in class? Especially if that same slide is going to be listed on a group page somewhere for me to read at a later date? I wonder why powerpoint has lost its luster.

Action!

When thinking back to when I was in my own high school English class; I tried to remember times when my teachers included technology effectively in the classroom. If i combine the thoughts of technology mixed with my personal experiences in an English classroom i revert back to my ninth grade English teacher. She came to my high school straight out of college, young, willing to learn, and innovative. I could tell that she wanted to bring life into the classroom, and that is why she quickly became my favorite teacher. I remember her always trying to find new and interesting ways for us to learn in the classroom. As my years went on in high school I always favored this teacher, so much in fact that when I was a senior in high school I chose to be her apprentice teacher for the year through a program called Target Teach. Through this apprenticeship I saw how my favorite teacher grew not only with her lectures, but with her integration of different tools in the classroom. One of her projects that I found to be the most interesting and fun assignment was her music video project. The students had to take a song and change the lyrics of the song to better fit with whatever book they were reading. This gave the students the creativity to say what they wanted to say in a fun and new way and still learn in the process. They then had to film music videos of the songs, and edit them together to make a music video countdown. I found this use of technology enforcement interesting and fun and the students seemed to like it too.

The Power of the App

With technology these days there are unlimited opportunities for educational advancment. When I think about technology in the English Classoom, I sometimes wonder, "What can technology do to help English?" My first thought when it comes to technology, I think about numbers, mathmatics, and equations. I think of everything but what it can do for the English classroom. However upon some research, and personal exploration, I discovered the possibilities that the ipad presents to the English classroom. There are so many different Apps that can help contribute to the Eglish classroom setting. There are free books, Shakespearean project apps, SAT preperation modules, and story telling apps. All of these differnet applications can make a differenc ein the quality of the classroom.

Sifteo Cubes on the Rise?

As I was surfing around online, looking for nothing in particular, I stumbled across what seems to potentially be the new generations form of building blocks. Growing up I remember playing with alphabet blocks. My sisters and iwould stack them, arrange them, throw them; pretty much anything you could think of using them for, we did. I became interested with this article because with the Sifteo Blocks when you interact with them, they will interact fit back with you. I thought that this was a cool new concept. But not only are these blocks limited to have faces with just letters on them, but they can be used for gaming, color scheming, mathematics,video watching. The blocks are in a way like a computer chopped up into tiny pieces minus the keyboard. After watching a video and reading an article on these blocks, it got me to thinking; how could I use these in my classroom? Now it seems at first glance that these blocks are geared towards a younger demographic, however I beg to differ. The blocks can have letters on the front and be used as a quick vocabulary word game, encouraging the student to make as many words with the bank that is given in the quickest amount of time. Why couldn't I have a game activity with my students, asking them to make words pertaining to the story or unit that we are focusing on? The Sifteo Blocks also have a new Creative Kit feature that allows teachers to make new activites and customize games for the students? Could these blocks be a new innovative material to bring into our futuristic classrooms?