Technology in the Classroom

My observation

• I observed the wonderful Mary Jane Sletten.
• 1st grade teacher at Bridges Community School

How was technology used

• Mrs. Sletten read a story from a different point of view and had a smartboard presentation with pictures behind her.

How can it be improved

• I thought a great improvement would be to add videos or audio to the presentation.
• This way we could engage the students more than just reading to them.

Standards Met

• 1. Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity
• 3. Model digital age work and learning

How does technology enhance learning

• Technology provided a visual of topic for students to experience.
• Presentation was also interactive with students.
• Students seemed engaged

Challenges

• Sometimes SMARTboard didn't work/not calibrated
• May take a long time to download.

Why did you choose the technology?

• It came with the curiculum and is a nice and easy guide for students.
• Notebook presentations seem to engage students.

How often used?

• I use Notebook Presentations every day. They are easy to create and make interactive.
• Challenges are we cannot access files on Chromebook.

Changes

• I would love to add videos and audio! Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to add these features. Especially since we cannot access Notebook on our mobile device.

Where did you learn?

• I learned most of my technology skills at school as an educator. Both districts I have been in obtained different technology tools they introduced to me.
• I also learned some when I went to college, but most of that isn't relevant anymore.

Why do you use technology?

• I use technology for the engagement it has on students. It gives everyone a visual of what I am talking about and keeps the class together.

Wishlist

• More technology support
• More iPads/computers accessable.

What do you need

• Our district is struggling with getting support for broken technology. I haven't been able to download apps that I would like to use in my classroom.

Now what?

• Mrs. Sletten's interview helped me realize the importance of media in the classroom. We use it daily but we could always improve it. Both of us would like to add audio to our presentation but feel overwhelmed with time.
• One solution I have is to take one or unit at a time. We don't need to do it all at once.

Surprise

• What surprised me was how even after teaching for 11 years, Mrs. Sletten still feels so busy and like she doesn't have time to improve her slides. One reason could be is because for the observed lesson, it is untested so the stakes aren't as high as math or reading.

Inspiring

• I was inspired to make time to improve the slides for at least one lesson. Maybe the audio won't even improve the engagement, but it would be cool to see what it does.
• I was also inspired to keep up with technology and improve my lessons before I get too far behind.

Takeaway

• My biggest takeaway is how important technology can be but it also can get pushed aside with everything else teachers need to do. I want to be a up to date teacher that doesn't get overwhelmed with everything there is to do.