Look around your classroom. Do you see your computers, laptops, Ipads, overheads, Elmos, SmartBoards?
What do you do with them? Really think about what you do with your technology. Do you use them to "Do things differently" or are you "Doing different things?"
I would like to you think about what you are doing in your classroom with your technologies. Are you utilizing the technology in the best way? Are your students getting the most out of the technologies? Are they learning with the technologies?
"Today we clearly are in the realm where the question is not how technology should change to fit the classroom practice, but rather how, given current technology, the classroom practice could change." (Thornburg, D 2004)
Resources:
Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options. (Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved from http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/expectations.pdf
I feel fortunate in many ways concerning technology in my school district. We have 3 computer labs in the media center, a wireless laptop cart, many Smartboards (not in all of the classrooms yet), and a decent website where teachers can create their own webpages. I am not so sure that teachers are doing different things with those technologies, though. Smartboards are pretty new to the district, so the teachers who have them are just beginning to scratch the surface in terms of what to do differently. I have used the Smartboard in a class that I co-teach with the freshman English teacher to model active reading strategies. This is something new that we are doing that we couldn't have done before because we didn't have access to a document camera. We have seen a marked increase in reading comprehension and the use of active reading strategies by students. There are four or five teachers using Moodle with their students and we just had a hybrid Medical Terminology class approved that will be partially online. I know of one teacher who utilizes Wikispaces as a forum for class discussion. The remainder of teachers who use the computer lab are doing so for student research papers and perhaps PowerPoint. I want to know what resources are out there that students can use to do collaborative projects for research and class presentation that is not the same old tired PowerPoint or paper. Moodle? Podcasts? Student created movies? I am looking forward to learning more about these things.
ReplyDeleteLoiver-
ReplyDeleteWOW! It sounds like you have lots of technology at your school and you have great ways to use it.
I have been asking for a document camera for the last year. I really, REALLY want one. I think that the things that could be done with it are endless.
I am part of a group of teachers who use Moodle. I have to be honest; I have not used it in a while.
My school has technologies and some teachers cannot wait to get the next update or next piece of technology. Others have made it clear they do not want a SmartBoard in their room.
Some teachers, including myself, have tried to get emails for students and other online resources; however, admin and board are not on board with the idea, or at least some of them. I am looking into a Blog page for my classroom. We do have school website which each teacher can update.
I see many schools have Facebook pages. My school would not allow this. I wish they would.
I look forward to reading your blog and comments.