Technology Integration: What I've Learned

Technology has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered how helpful it could be in the classroom.  I have learned so much about how technology can be a wonderful tool that will help students of all learning abilities succeed.  As a student I always found technology to be intimidating and as I got older, I used it mainly to type assignments and connect with my friends.  As an educator, when technology was discussed, I always thought of “technology integration” as watching a movie or having students type their papers.  During student teaching I got my first glimpse of technology in the classroom; my cooperating teacher had the students make public service announcements using a recording application on the computer called GarageBand.  The students recorded the announcement and the announcements were aired on the school webpage.  I thought this was one of the coolest ways for the students to make public service announcements that I had ever seen.  Since learning that skill plus learning about all the other sources of technology that are available to teachers for their students, I have a new respect for technology use within the classroom. 

What’s even more awesome about all the available technology is that it is so easy to connect to the state standards, which means it is applicable to the student’s current learning.  What I find remarkable it that it is also applicable to my learning; through this course I am learning about the many different tools I can use as an educator.  I can currently use some of the tools we learned about in my current job as a toddler teacher; a WebQuest could easily be adapted to meet the needs of a toddler and I could also easily create an Animoto video geared toward shapes or colors that would appeal to them.  I am looking forward to using some of the more complex tools, like Wordle and a more in-depth WebQuest, to reach older students when I do eventually get a teaching job.  Having this handle on technology is a great asset to have while looking for a teaching position because technology is becoming more prevalent in many schools.  Technology is a very useful tool within the classroom in so many ways.  

Finally Free!

You've reached safety!  Where did you go?  How do you feel about your new freedom, something you have never had before?  What do you plan to do now that you are free?

Equal Access to the Digital World

What does it mean to provide equal access to the digital world?  That means making technology available to every student, no matter the circumstances.  What's fantastic right now about technology is that it is easily adaptable to meet so many needs.  There are programs that help provide text where there is only sounds, or sound to a body of text, which would help students with hearing issues or students who have trouble with their sight.  There are so many ways that students learn and having the added benefit of technology can aid so many students in how they learn best.

Merits of Social Media

Welcome students and families!

Social media is now being used in so many different ways, even in the classroom!  Sometimes it is the fastest way for teachers and students to communicate or even for students to connect with each other regarding questions they have.  More and more schools are adding social media to their school pages and finding that as long as teachers and students are trained in how to use the media, they have a positive effect on students work and relationships.  One school group found that "It seems the most successful implementations of social media use are found in those schools that recognize the importance of guiding students in their journey: teaching good digital citizenship and training students (and teachers) in the importance of establishing a positive digital identity (Weiser, 2013)."  Our class now has a twitter page that will be used to ask questions student-to-teacher, student-to-student or parent-to-teacher about this WebQuest.  The link is attached at the bottom of the page.  Give social media a chance and it may surprise you with how helpful it can be.

https://twitter.com/MissSammiDube


Works Cited

Weiser, C. (2013). SOCIAL MEDIA. Tech & Learning, 34(2), 38-38,40. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1438034116?accountid=3783