Attentions, Parents!

Technology in My Classroom

Dear Parents,

Thank you for entering my classroom blog.  You are welcome to visit anytime and leave as many comments as you would like.  Blogs are interactive, so I encourage you to get involved!

This month, our PTA is kicking off a huge fundraising effort to supply every classroom in our school with up-to-date and useful technology to enhance your child's learning.  We need your support!

Why Students Need Technology:

Just because students use technology does not raise their achievement.  Technology can be an educational distraction, if not used correctly. The impact depends on the way the technology is used. As reported by Roblyer & Doering (2010), CARET (Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology) found how and under what conditions technology can enhance learning (p.14-16):

• To Motive Students
• gain their attention
• support manual operations during high-level learning
• illustrate real-world relevance through highly visual presentations
• connect students with audiences for their writing

• To Enhance Instruction
• supply interaction and immediate feedback 
• illustrate connections between skills and real-life
• study systems in unique ways
• supply self-paced learning for capable students
• opportunities for cooperative learning

• To Make Students and Teachers More Productive
• saving time by allowing quick and easy corrections
• grading and tracking student work
• providing quick access to information sources via the Internet
• save money on consumable materials (e.g., worksheets, handouts)

• To Help Students Learn & Sharpen Their "Information Age" Skills
• technology literacy in word processing, multimedia, and the internet, to name a few
• informational literacy
• visual literacy where students learn to interpret, understand, & appreciate visual images

Roles of Teachers:
Teachers today must have skills and knowledge that will help prepare their students to meet a whole new set of challenges that this new world of technology presents.  There is a group of standards that has been set nationally by a group called NETS (National Educational Technology Standards) which help infuse technology into classrooms across America in a productive and worthwhile manner (Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p. 24).

Two Types of Learning Theories:  (Both of which can be supported through technology)

1.  Directed instruction (Objectivism): Teaching is directed and structured.  Learning is teacher directed and knowledge is transmitted. Students demonstrate what they learn through standardized testing. (Read more here: National Institute for Direct Instruction)
2.  Inquiry-based learning (Constructivist): Student-centered, hands-on instruction where students show what they have learned in various ways, not just written tests.  Knowledge is constructed, not transmitted. Student activities help them generate their own knowledge. Read more here: Constructivism Information (Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p. 34).

 Wish List for My Classroom: 

1. SmartBoard:  An example of a lesson I could teach with a SmartBoard is a lesson in Mathematics. When teaching proportions, I can search the SmartBoard community in which teachers from all over the world download their lessons so that other teachers may use their pre-made lessons.  I can find a lesson full of dynamic graphics and relevant examples to teach proportions.  Then, students may come up to the SmartBoard and play an interactive game in pairs to reinforce their learning. (This is an example of Directed Instruction.)
2. ResponseCards:  As I teach a concept, I can survey students to see how well they are comprehending the concepts.  They respond to a question using their "ResponseCard" and I immediately know how many students understand well and how many students do not have a good understanding of the material. I can then break students into groups determined by their ability levels.  Some lower-level groups will solve problems together in a group while other groups will work on higher-level problems to gain greater understanding. They will present their findings to the class through a skit. (This is an example of Constructive Learning.)

In Summary:

Thank you for taking an interest in your child's education.  Please feel free to ask me any questions about the integration of technology in my classroom.  I am excited about the unlimited possibilities to make learning more engaging and individualized.  And, I encourage you to support the PTA with your generous donations. Please respond with comments or questions in the "Comments" area at the top of the blog.

References

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A.H. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson.

Culatta, Richard. (2010). Constructivist Learning Theory. Retrieved from http://www.innovativelearning.com/teaching/constructivism.html.

DISCLAIMER:  

This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University.  It is not a real fundraising blog.