When I look around my classroom looking for technology integration I see students using a smartboard. Although I have only been teaching three years there is nothing like seeing the reaction of my students when they are interacting with my smartboard. Whether we are building sentences by dragging words into their rights spots, working on word families by adding new beginnings to vowels sounds such as adding a ‘c’ to ‘at’ and then changing it to a ‘b’, or even helping learn their addition facts with a random dice tool, technology is in full effect in my classroom. The students are so eager to come up to the board for their chance to interact with the board. They are so eager to get it right and show their classmates and me that they not only know what the right answer is but how to use such an important piece of educational technology. The smiles on their faces and determination in their eyes makes me know that there is meaningful and lifelong technology integration going on each day in my classroom.
Yes. I would also add that children these days are more hardwired for these types of technological educational experiences. Hence, the reason I challenge early childhood teachers to take advantage of these opportunities. As with my two young children both girls have been raised and exposed to interactive learning through television, electronic readers, etc. and then when we put them in school "some" teachers want them to set an learn quietly. This post can take many turns, but the point is yes, when you see the face of the children light up it's worth all the time and effort you put into teaching with technology when the integration is effective.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I worry though as lower grades become more interactive.. we need to also think about how either we will make later grades more interactive or how we will transition students to be able to be more self-soothing and motivating in a traditional classroom in later years. Its the basic Sesame Street Generation debate (but now on steroids)
ReplyDeleteSomeone's comments on this issue http://dawsonspond.blogspot.com/2005/02/sesame-street-generation.html
My co teacher in first grade just started having her students take their spelling test on SpellingCity.com during their Friday computer lab time. They print out their score and hand it in to her. I'm jealous of the time saver it is for her but I cannot bring myself to make that switch. I need them to write it out. I am not sure why that is so important to me but it is.
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