Week 10: Technology in the Classroom

The elementary school that I will be doing my field work in has virtually no access to technology. I thought I would use this week to talk about the importance of technology in the classroom. This entry will cover all classroom technology, ranging from overhead projectors to internet access.
How will technology in the classroom help me communicate with my students? Through technology, the students will be more interested in learning than if they were to just read out of textbooks. For example, if I showed something using an overhead projector, the students would be more likely to look deeply at it than if I handed out a piece of paper with that same information on it. Technology in the classroom is something that is being introduced to schools more and more, and for good reason. Technology is much more engaging than how teachers taught back in the 1970's. Also, technology allows students to reach their teachers from home via email. The internet can be a wonderful learning tool in the classroom, as well as outside of the classroom. However, the internet can also be a dangerous place, so whenever the internet is used in school, supervision of the students is a must.
How will technology in the classroom help me communicate with my students' parents? Through email and text messaging, the parents will be able to contact me whenever they want to with any questions they have pertaining to their children's' education. Also, the parents will be able to access the class website, so they will be able to see what their children are learning in school at that time by viewing the class calendar. I would also have all of my students' grades posted online, so the parents will be able to see how their children are doing in school. I know my parents always looked forward to progress report time, but with access online to my grades, my parents would always know how I was doing.
How will technology in the classroom help me collaborate with my colleagues? If I would like to share any of my lesson plans with other colleagues, I could just email them to them. Also, I can share my WebQuests with my colleagues to help them use technology in their classrooms. The biggest thing that will help me collaborate with my colleagues is email. Email is so quick and easy, and it's so simple to ask a question and get an instant response.
Why is technology in the classroom so popular with my students? My assumption is that almost every student is in contact with technology every day of their lives. If they are at school for 6 hours out of their days, it would be a treat to them if they use technology during their time at school. These days, the students are surrounded by technology everywhere they go. If technology is used as a teaching tool in an interesting way, such as a digital story or a WebQuest, the students will be interested in it because they know that they are being given the privilege of using technology.
Why is technology in the classroom so popular with my colleagues? For adults, it has become so much easier to communicate through the internet and text messaging. If the principal is planning to push back the time of a meeting, all he has to do is forward a text message to each of the coworkers attending the meeting, or he could send out an email to each of the workers. Also, teachers can keep all of their lesson plans on a zip drive or a folder on their computer. That way, if they would like to share any lesson plans of their with other coworkers, they can just forward them to them.
In which ways might I employ technology in the classroom to achieve classroom objectives? Any objective can be reached through technology. Also, any lesson plan can be tweaked to incorporate technology in one way or another. For example, instead of using a textbook, you can have the students research online. Or, instead of reading a story, a digital story can be used. Or, instead of handing out a worksheet, an overhead can be used and the students can write the answers down on a piece of paper.
What are the pros and cons of technology in the classroom? The pros of using technology is that there is always something new that is coming out to use. The internet can be used in so many different ways, from online games to WebQuests. Also, email allows the students and parents to have 24/7 contact with the teacher from home or work. The cons are that, well, the internet is very dangerous for students, especially when they are sent to school by their parents who expect them to get a wholesome education. When the teacher makes the decision to give her students access to the internet, she takes it upon herself to make sure every one of her students is protected from the dangers of the internet.
Video Response: I think this video is a great way to show a timeline. It's quick, but so is the song. This is an example of a great way to do a digital story to an education and clean piece of music. The fact that it's quick makes the students pay closer attention so they can absorb all of the information. As we learned in class, the amount of time a clip is on the screen is a powerful aspect to a digital story, but it is only a good idea when it makes a point. The point of being quick in this clip is that it is a timeline, showing how fast events happened. Plus, the song is very fast.