I'll be honest. When I walked into the first day of my Teaching with Technology class I assumed that I had no place there because I had seen and used "it all". For instance, at home I am the technology guru between my two parents, and I figured if I can do that, this class should be a breeze!
Not the case.
There are so many avenues to be explored when teaching with technology. It's not just about learning how to use a SMARTboard or which websites have the best interactive games, but so much more than that. Here are just a few ways that I have been inspired to use technology in my classrooms:
1. Blogs are the writing journals of the twenty-first century! If I ever get the opportunity to work with a junior/intermediate grade level class, I plan to eliminate paper style journals and have students reflect and respond on a personalized blog. I believe print journals are important for the younger primary grades as it gives students an opportunity to practice writing conventions (using punctuation, capitalization, how to form a proper sentence). Also, it is unrealistic to assume students that young are able to use computer technology to communicate their ideas (learning to type is a skill as well remember!) But for the J/I learners, I believe blogs are a really neat way to do daily/weekly journals. Of course, there are logistics to keep in mind, such as privacy, digital footprints, and the teacher acquiring all logins in order to monitor and appropriately assess all work.
2. Online scavenger hunts are a fantastic idea! Though there is evidently a lot of preparation required from the teacher, it allows students to essentially work independently or in small groups to follow the steps and links in their scavenger hunt to find answers on their own, conduct their own research and practice strategies that enable them to master their critical analysis skills by analyzing what they find online.
3. Scoop.It is actually a tool that I just became familiar with today, and I would love to use it as a culminating task. Essentially the program enables users to organize their thoughts and research online for one subject in particular, where they can easily access it to create their own website to share their information. For example, if you were interested in Jack Russell Terriers and had both personal and online resources that you have collected, Scoop.It will help you organize, re-arrange and display information in your own website. I think is a great alternative way for students to collect, organize and present information throughout a unit of study, versus writing an essay or giving a report. Students can create and personalize their own website and have unlimited flexibility on how they decide to share their information.
4. Yoki. What's that you ask? Yokis are talking avatars that can be used in more ways than you may think.
- Students can record themselves and create an avatar that looks just like them as study preparation (reading the information out and hearing it played back are great memorization tools)
- Students who are terrified of public speaking may decide to pre-record their speech through an avatar and simply present the materials while the Yoki speaks for them. It is not the speaking that makes the information relevant, it's the content.
- Teachers can have Yoki's too! Teachers can post their avatar on the class/school website, as information for parents on the goings on in the classroom, or as a resource tool for students with that night's homework/things to remember (for those forgetful students like me!)
5. PhotoPeach takes storytelling to a whole other level. I particularly liked the "spiral" option rather than the regular slideshow version, mainly because without sound, it looks just like a slowed down motion picture. Students can create their own story to read aloud to their classmates while the slideshow they have created plays behind them with pictures that compliment the story. With there being no sound or text, it isn't as distracting and it's up to the student to be an effective storyteller, not the technology, which in this case is just being used as a tool or support.
I've learned that to use technology in teaching you are not hiding behind a fancy light show or constant string of YouTube clips to try and take student's attention away from the fact that they are learning anything, but rather enhancing your lessons with relevant and supportive technological materials that promote student strategy building and creativity.
So get out there and be techtacular!
A
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