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.