Technology Uprising

As a teacher in a high poverty school, technology is finally starting to grow. It seems at though it was of little importance 4 years ago, and now it's EVERYTHING. One area involving technology that is pushed at my school is the student data. We must show weekly and monthly growth. The student use of technology is evolving as well. We have recently acquired access to Education Galaxy, Study Island, and iCurio. This has increased student engagement drastically. I'm looking forward to learning new ideas and approaches in using technology in my classroom.

Technology in the classroom

       For my first post I would like to discuss technology and my feelings! I am so ashamed to admit that I have such a fear of using it! My students know much more than me and teach me more about than I teach them. This class is forcing me out of my comfort zone and I truly hope that I become more comfortable with using it in my own classroom. I look forward to working with each of you!
      I want to be able to use technology without the fear of my students clicking on things they should not look at. Each of my students were purchased a Google Chrome book to use through a district grant but I am too afraid to do anything more than type papers on them. As I started reading the text I have noticed so many things that I could have been using this year. So I am eager to use them next year!

Technology in the Classroom

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I would be using more technology in my classroom.  I started my own classroom page on Edmodo to post assignments and quizzes.  However, since taking this class, my confidence in using and managing online resources has skyrocketed.  I can envision so many ways to use the online resources available to help my students reach their learning goals.

I've never thought about using podcasts in my class before but now that I've seen how it can be done, I'm more than ready to begin using this type of technology in my classroom!  It's been a great learning experience and the ideas I've learned will benefit me throughout my career.

Loved my technology class!!

I have really enjoyed the Technology for Educators class. Prior to enrolling, I'm ashamed to say that I had never even heard of a screencast or a webquest!! I knew that my phone had a podcast app, but never dreamed of using it in my classroom!!! Looking over the assignments the first week, I felt overwhelmed and was stressed about having to complete tasks that I knew nothing about!! However, once I started each assignment, I realized how simple and useful these new tools could be used in my classroom. Now that I have my own class blog, I plan on utilizing it to keep my parents and students better informed.  Since I have discovered that there is a large online bank of webquest, I can now allow my students to take on a more active role in their learning process.  Thank you so much Dr. Rubin for giving me these new tools to keep my students interested!!

Technology in the Classroom

I have learned so much from this class that I will be able to utilize in my own classroom.  Students will love working with Jing, making Screencasts, and creating their own Podcasts!  At first, I felt that my students might be overwhelmed.  Now that I know more, I understand that all these techniques can promote student engagement.  The class challenged me to learn and perfect in areas that I already am knowledgeable of too.  I learned different ways to use PowerPoint, and what goes into creating your own WebQuests. I honestly think all these techniques can benefit each student.  Even the quietest students in your class will become more expressive through online blogging and wikis.  I learned that through using these online tools, students will also become more responsible in credibility of research, and the work they put into an assignment. I can't wait to show what I've learned.

Class Blog

The majority of the kids in my classroom only have internet access through a parents smartphone. However, I make a point of gathering them on the carpet in front of the active board and asking their input on which photos/information that we need to put on our blog. This gives them ownership of "Our Blog". They are excited to show it to guest that come into our classroom. I am excited to see how proud they are of their accomplishments and their willingness to share what they have learned with others.

Technology in the Classroom

I am so excited to use the information that I have learned during this course in my classroom. I was skeptical about how I would incorporate podcast, power points, weblogs, and screen cast into the curriculum of my 1st grade class. I have created a power point using the Dolch site words that I run during transitions with incorporate vocabulary/ site words into my daily curriculum. I have been able to use Jing to cut and paste specific content into my power point as well as my classroom blog. I am excited at the possibilities of using various technology in my classroom and look forward to building my weblog and creating new and useful resources for my classroom.