Using Technology Into Her Classroom

Technology in the school has become an increasingly challenging and somewhat disruptive aspect in today’s educational system. In order to maintain what is considered the status quo, schools have focused their energy and resources on banning cell phones, wireless Internet and blocking social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter in schools. However, as technology continues to grow in our society outside of the school, many believe that effectively involving these technologies into the classroom can ultimately improve student engagement in their learning environments. This research paper will focus on both sides of the argument and ultimately seek to determine if there is a best practice regarding technological being put into schools.

Samantha Light, grade 1 teacher at St. Juans catholic elementary in Toronto, Ontario noticed that her students learn better when they use technology, such as iPads. Light wants to make learning more enjoyable not only for her students, but kids everywhere, as she thinks it will make students want to participate in their teachers lessons more.

Hernando County has a technology initiative; however, within the each classroom it can be hard to obtain, due to lack of technology. Within Challenger K8 most classrooms have about 2 working computers in the elementary grade levels. In middle school there are classrooms with no computers. We have 5 computer labs that can be scheduled for daily use and then scheduled for testing. Through our community partners the school has received 4 smart boards, and an iMac Lab. Our media person just received a grant for a class set of ipads. Some teacher have bought there own for students to utilize within the class. Hernando County also provided a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for schools to use at their discretion. The middle school uses BYOD on a daily bases for informal formative assessments, games, and engagement. Teachers also conduct surveys at the beginning of the year to understand what technology is at the student finger tips at home. O’Neal suggests, “it is critical that we look at the use

The biggest problem with today’s education is how rapid technology is advancing. So rapid, in fact, that schools are attempting to keep up, but are sadly falling short. Teachers are being required to incorporate new technology into their everyday methods of teaching. The use of IPads or laptops in classrooms can be helpful to both teachers and students(edreform online classes)”. If a teacher is not overly familiar with the new devices, then the students will lose what little time they have to learn. As a teacher is attempting to fix technical problems in one class, the class that has a tech savvy teacher will be advancing far ahead. On the other hand, if a classroom is full of students who are very unfamiliar with the technology will have to be taught how to operate it, which wastes valuable time. In today’s society technology usage is so much more widespread than it was just five years ago. The new toys can allow schools to broaden their curriculum. Since most work can be done on a single device, kids can work at their own pace and potentially reach heights they could never reach with book, pen, and paper. The benefits of this new tech greatly outweigh the downsides. The biggest problem with technology in classrooms is their lack of use. So few schools have jumped on board with these programs, and therefore are holding their kids back. These products are readily available, but “the use of new technology

Is technology hurting or helping in middle school classrooms? Over the past few years there has been a huge debate on technology helping vs. hurting in the classroom. I decided to experience for myself how it is used  and if it is making learning easier.

The article 7 Habits of Highly Effective Tech-leading Principals was about principals and their effectiveness in changing the technology culture within the school. The article begins by telling how that schools systems need use more technology and that often there are teachers on staff that want to do new initiative things in their classrooms but are being held back by school policy or staff that don’t want to change. Students are technology oriented and as school we need to reach the students and communicate the lessons to them on their terms. The article talked about how so many schools do not allow students to use their phones in the school. I understand the liability issues but are we truly preparing them students for the real world.

With the day-to-day use of iPads within the classroom, it is crucial that teachers find the right balance between protecting our children and giving them the apparatuses they need to make the most of today’s technology for supporting educational initiatives. There are many ethical concerns that arise with the common use of technology today: unstructured and unmonitored iPad time can lead to psychological and

The VAK (visual, auditory and kinesthetic) learning style model is a way in which most people learn. They have a preferred way of learning and are dominant in the way they learn. There are the visual learners, the auditory learners

This year, Rancho Minerva Middle School who has 827 students and 40 teachers was granted the Digital Promise grant in which all the students were given an iPad and the opportunity to have internet data for their iPads at home through Verizon Wireless. That is when the thinking started, after hearing about all the amazing ideas and apps that Rancho Minerva was using to demonstrate that this new type of technology is actually the path to the future. It was quoted in Newman’s book “Sociology” that “we should recognize that we’re on a technological roller coaster and things are changing fast” (as cited in Belson, 2004, p. 14). Digital Promise has given this opportunity in Vista, CA to Rancho Minerva Middle School and the Vista Innovation and Design Academy, in Levittown, PA to FDR Middle School and Armstrong Middle School, in Raleigh NC to Carroll Leadership in Technology Magnet Middle School, in Evanston, IL to Chute Middle School and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School, and in Raleigh, NC to PreEminent Charter School. In Beeler’s article “Every School Has a Story” it is explained that this opportunity was given to the previously mentioned schools so that with the help of a coach certain goals can be set and then with their help an online guidebook will be made to show the victories, challenges, strategies and the lessons that have been taught and learned.

Using technology in the classroom it a great way to teach students. As a teacher you must be very careful to make sure you are using effective application in the classroom. When looking online there are thousands of educational application out there, so how do you know if you are using effective ones? Teachers must look at app with a critical eye to make that decision, so I have chosen two applications to evaluate. The first application I evaluated was Sushi Monster using the website iPad in Education: Evaluating Apps for the Classroom. This website had me evaluate if it was developmentally appropriate. Also if the app was more about fun vs learning and how accessible it is. The website Education Apps: 4 Pillars for Evaluating Classroom Technology

Mrs. Fusco has very few technological resources that she utilizes in her classroom. There are only five Chromebooks, a computer, and a Smart Board. The Chromebooks are only utilized by those in her class that need them as an extra accommodation for writing assignments. She also uses audio tracks on the Smart Board in order to provide students with an audio along with their visual reading of a text or novel. Students do tend to be more enthusiastic about using technology in the classroom; for example, the virtual morning announcements that they do at Yellin excites the students, and they dance and sing along to the music that is provided before the announcements. They got just as excited when Alex did her lesson and used Youtube, and students were able to listen

This research paper examines the benefit of the incorporation of technology when teaching literacy in the kindergarten classroom. It searches the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of technology from the use of smartboards, iPads, iPhones, mp3 devices, tablets, computers, and software. The literature review provides an understanding of the different uses of technology and the positive and

In 2011, ten years after Maine began issuing laptops to all seventh graders, the Auburn School System launched an initiative to provide an iPad 2 for each of its students entering kindergarten. At a cost of roughly $200,000- representing a 5% increase in the school budget (Opinions Divided…) some taxpayers were less than pleased- calling it a complete waste of money. But in Auburn- and schools around the country- trends are emerging and showing the iPad to be a powerful learning tool and a necessary investment in our children’s future. For over a decade, Maine has been at the forefront of integrating technology into public schools and there is no reason to stop now. Despite the high cost to

current technology than the school’s staff. Teachers in turn are placing emphasis on the schools to

Technology has changed so many of the ways in which we live our lives, from the invention of the wheel to the advanced systems we use and take for granted everyday. Technology was once taboo in most house holds while people still clung to the idea that life was built on life experiences. Nicholas Carr stated in, Is Goggle making us stupid? "Back in the fourth century, BCE, Plato complained that writing (then a fairly new technology) was destroying peoples memory, yet he wrote dozens of books. For half a century, television has been accused of rotting our brains and making us fat and lazy, but most people depend on it for info, news and entertainment." Technology has changed our understanding of the way things work and