Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in My Classroom

These top 10 reasons are based on the needs (and realities) of an early elementary resource room. So with no further ado . . .
10. Screencasting The use of screencasts provide a way to visually represent the process of creating documents on a computer. Screencasts also allow students and their parents to view the process at home to help with homework assignments thus bridging the home-school connection.
9. File Security With Google Docs, backup programs, Wikis, and other media, teachers can secure their documents without charge. These files can then be accessible from multiple locations. If the district server goes down, files can still be accessible using web-based storage.
8. Behavior Management In the process of action research, I found my students to be more on-task when given the opportunity to interact with technology. Especially as a special education teacher, effective behavior management is crucial to conveying academic content.
7. Creating Savvy Consumers Our students are digital natives and use technology in almost every aspect of their lives. By directly teaching technology skills in the classroom, students can learn about Internet safety issues as well as reliability of information. Many of our students' parents may not have these skills and are dependent on the school system to help their children become educated computer users.
6. Student Engagement In reviewing research for action research, I found that disenfranchised learners have superior task engagement when they are allowed to interact with technology. Using visual strategies likely is a huge component of this.
5. Critical Thinking Skills The use of technology encourages students to use critical thinking skills to solve technology issues. We also learned with the LoTI scale how to create meaningful activities that promote critical thinking.
4. Diversity in Lessons Technology has allowed for a variety of lessons including WebQuests, collaborative presentations, blogging, podcasting, and graphics development. Websites of lesson databases like Thinkfinity and AT&T's Knowledge Network also allow teachers to explore how
colleagues around the world are using technology of their classrooms. Diversifying lessons is much better than the traditional sit and get lecture of our schooling experiences.
3. Digital Storytelling My students love it! We make our own books modeled after our reading books and classroom experiences. In addition to targeting reading and technology skills, we can practice our speech and language skills when making digital stories.
2. Academic Achievement During my action research, I had superior academic growth from my students when they were actively engaged in technology. Isn't this the ultimate goal?
1. Collaboration Technology allows for collaboration in ways that was never possible before. With Wikis, photosharing, Google Docs, and more, teachers, parents, and students can easily collaborate without the boundaries of the physical building or phone lines. Students can work on assignments together and the document history can be searched to make sure that students are contributing equally. Our district level PLC is going to move to using a Wiki next year in order to create a database of effective instructional strategies based on student deficits as well as to share modifications and materials that we have created for students. Outside of school, I find photosharing to be useful for my friends and family.

CED 581, Class Four - Class Relevancy

When I started this class, I felt like it had little relevancy to my current teaching position, and I still feel like that. Other than purchasing software for work, I have little need to know about the capabilities of our work computers. Even those requests go through IT, and most of those requirements I was able to figure out before this class. However, career changes down the road may make this class more relevant for work. Only time will tell whether I give up special ed for something different.

On the other hand, I feel like I have become a much more knowledgeable consumer in my personal life. In the past, I had sort of assumed "more is better," and to some extent, that is still true. However, instead of generically thinking more is better, I now know that money should be invested in memory. I've also become more aware of the value of extended warranties. When I purchased my MacBook 2 1/2 years ago, I took out the warranty because I thought it was a good idea. Now knowing the cost of batteries and screens, I'm glad I did. I've also always been one who backs up. I thought everyone did this. I'm glad that I do and will continue to do so. I also now know that I will be mindful that virus protection will likely need to be considered in the future for my Mac. I, like many, assumed that Macs were always safe.

So, perhaps my bad attitude at the beginning of the course was not so justified. While it may not help me much in my current position, this class has definitely helped me to be a better technology consumer.

CED 581, Class Three

I'm continuing to stretch my computer knowledge and be challenged to think in new ways.

The information on virus protection in regards to Mac was pretty new to me. I always thought that as a Mac user, I was pretty much safe from malware. After reading Richard Mogull's article, I continue to feel pretty safe even though I should be looking into virus protection software a little more. Any recommendations? As the sole user of my computer, I control what gets loaded onto my computer and which e-mail attachments are opened. However, as Mac continues to take a bigger share of the market, I feel like I should probably be protecting my computer a bit more.

The computer component assignment also forced me to think a little more about my profession. I was much more fluent in assistive technology devices when I first graduated from college. As I went back to collect data on pricing and all the features about different devices, I discovered how much this field has grown in the last 3 years. In reading other people's presentations, I also discovered how some of the devices (such as pen devices) that were designed for the average person to have greater ease of use have some good accessibility options for people with disabilities. I think that some of the pen devices may be practical for my students for next year. With the possiblity of having our assistive technology person in my building next year, I hope to get a little more hands-on experience with some of these devices.

As I write, I'm trying to wrap my head around the data backup and viruses assignments. This will require some thinking outside of my comfort zone, but I'm up for the challenge!