Thursday, May 22, 2014

A High Tech Classroom Teacher

Technology needs to be ubiquitous. Learning needs to be authentic.

Students access technology constantly, yet are limited when it comes to the classroom. They have grown up having the ability to access what they want, when they want, yet we have traditionally isolated our internet in labs outside the classroom rather than incorporating it into the classroom. I'm excited about the opportunity to encourage students to "bring their own devices" and to be able to provide some of those devices for students who don't have the capability.

Having technology available in the classroom will allow for increased collaboration, more timely teacher feedback, and the opportunity for students to guide their own learning and expand their understanding.

I will contribute to this program, because of my experience with blogger, goodreads, socrative, remind101, now comment, animoto, google drive, etc. Creating and implementing the 9th grade blogging/independent reading has allowed me to learn features of the tool, increasing clarity of instructions, providing opportunities for student/teacher conferences, and increasing the timeliness of my feedback (commenting on blogs). Please view my current reading blog here.

My goal for this PD opportunity is to learn how to use technology effectively-to build a safe online climate for students; to increase students ownership and accountability of their work; to give students opportunities to guide their own learning; to increase quality of instruction, teacher clarity, and feedback; to create an authentic experience for learners.

So, to my colleagues I ask this question: How has technology incorporation in your curriculum strengthened and enhanced your student's learning experience?