Technology influences my classroom on a daily basis. I have a classroom telephone, teacher computer, student computer, laptop, interactive 3-M board, and projector that connect to 3-M board. I use technology at least every hour. If our Internet is down, I go through withdrawals! I am still learning the 3-M board because we have had no training on it. As a new grade level teacher, I am overwhelmed, but I am using it daily. I pull up worksheets on the 3-M from our math program, we listen/view to books online, we play math, reading, etc. games in our free time, etc. My students LOVE to use the interactive pen.
I also allow my autistic student to use the student computer daily. He is very non-compliant, but when the computer is involved, he will do anything! The document camera projector (I think that is what it is called) we just received last week. We can lay a book, student work, etc. down on the desk and it projects it on the 3-M board. I think I will use it a lot in writing to share student examples! Again, no training causes me to slowly learn it on my own.
I really liked the idea of Inspired Classrooms. It would truly transform education. We are all active participants, but this would allow students to really be active in his/her learning. We are living in a new generation with I-pods, DS, x-box, etc. I feel exhausted at the end of each day, but if I was more of a facilitator, I think that the learning would flow more easily in the classroom with students learning from each other and together collaboratively. As usual, the cost is a huge downfall. Real world applications are so important and integrating technology because our world is turning digital can only do this. I also learned to pay more attention to my objectives that I am teaching regardless if it involves technology. I always say at the beginning off an each lesson, “Today I am going to teach you…” I will pay close attention to using objectives and not tools in my teaching points. The classroom wikis, blogs, and podcasts were all new to me. I have never learned about these aspects of classroom technology. I am embarrassed to say this, but I have to teach GLEs (grade level expectations) and prove this to my principal. I am not able to link all of my classroom lessons to outside world knowledge. I do what I can, but it sadly isn’t top priority. The sad thing is that a lot of what I assess doesn’t matter after I grade it, but I have to teach it and grade it for our standard based report cards.
I LOVE using delicious.com in my classroom. I organized all of the websites we use by different tabs. I am quite the organizational freak…I am a little OCD. This allows me to be organized online now too! I added the online timer links and found another one that I like http://www.online-stopwatch.com/large-stopwatch/. I currently use one all the time in my classroom that I have with my 3-M board program. I use this with my autistic student because he has major difficulties transitioning. I have found that it is an effective tool for all of my students so I will continue to use this as much as possible!
The information with cooperative and collaborative learning is quite honestly the most common trend that is being pushed in my district. We are implementing new curriculum that involves cooperative and collaborative learning in all aspects! We have a new spelling program that is leveled with different words for the different groups to learn together on their levels. We have whole group and partnerships in reading and writing workshop, and math groups. I have a sheet with partners or groups for each subject that I teach. Each student has roles. I have posters with jobs, talking points, rules, etc. I have specific places in the room that each group/partnership meet and sit on the carpet. There is no room for confusion in my cooperative/collaborative teaching times (I have learned this the hard way throughout this year/my first year in 3rd grade)! I do not grade on group work, because our report card is standard based.
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