Wednesday, January 29, 2014

What are some important best practices for technology in education?



Technology in the classroom is great way for teachers to make learning a fun task for their students. Teachers who use technology in their classroom are getting their students to use their cognitive and creative skills. Teachers that use technology in the classroom should connect it to their lesson plan and curriculum. Technology in the classroom has different practices in relationship to education.  Some best practices for using technology in the classroom that I found to be very interesting are alignment, accessibility, assessment, and reinforcement.

Technology in the classroom should be aligned with the learning objectives of the lesson. Technology can be seen as very nice and flashy for students. But, teachers need to make sure that the technology is being used for a purpose in order to enhance the students learning. The teacher needs to choose the technology that goes well with their educational goals as a teacher and the students. Teachers should make sure their technology tool being used in the classroom fits well with the major concepts of the subject matter.

Technology in the classroom needs to be accessible for all the students.  Some students may not have access to the technology of your choice. The teacher will have to take into consideration this when deciding on the technology tool. Most importantly, teachers need to be able to access the technology and know how to use it as well. Also, teachers have to provide their students with direction when dealing with technology being used in the classroom. Teachers should remind their students of their learning objectives throughout the lesson.

Lastly, teachers should always reinforce their teaching through their technology. Technology should always be integrated meaningfully into the curriculum and instruction. This can positively impact the students learning and achievement. It is just a matter of matching the most effective technology tool in the classroom. These practices are a great way to start using technology in the classroom.  
Here are three live links that are related to this topic:

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

What is TPACK?

    

TPACK stands for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. It is a framework that uses three forms of knowledge together to promote a creative way of learning. It is a foundation for a teacher that gives them the data to incorporate technology into their classrooms. The three main parts of this framework are Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) and Technology Knowledge (TK).  The content involves what to teach and the subject matter. It also involves the teacher’s knowledge about the subject matter to be learned or taught. Pre-school children educational lesson plans will be different from middle school children’s lesson plan activities. The pedagogy involves how you teach, your methods and developmentally appropriate activities for your students. It also involves the teacher’s understanding of how students learn pre-student assessments, classroom management skills, and lesson planning. The technology involves what you use to make the learning activity meaningful and how to enhance the learning experience. The technology is also tools or resources that can bring out the lesson. Teacher should constantly update their knowledge about technology and how to use it productively in everyday life. Their knowledge of technology will be great to use in their classrooms because children love fun and interesting lesson plans that involve technology tools such as: computers and smart boards. All three components are used together to create a wonderful lesson plan. Teachers can use TPACK to help them choose the correct technology that supports their curriculum and teaching style that connects with their pedagogy and content material.      

Here I have included three live links that are related to this topic:

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

What I hope to get out of the course Technology in the Classroom!


I hope to gain more knowledge about technology from this course that I can use in the classroom with children. I’m going to become a teacher one day and technology is a very useful component that I can use in the classroom to help teach some of my lesson plans. A lot of young children today are growing up with technology in their lives. Technology is being used as a learning tool for children. As an early childhood educator, having the opportunity to learn more about technology would be very helpful for me and my students. In classrooms today, teachers use smart boards, computers, and iPads to communicate with their students. I actually saw this being done during my student teaching. One of the speech therapists came into the classroom to work with a child. She used her iPad to work with this child on different speech activities. The child really enjoyed using the iPad and being able to learn new information. These devices are helping children learn different subjects. These technology tools can be very difficult to use for many people. This class will give more insight into how to use technology in the classroom.

            I also hope to use the new knowledge from this course to become a more successful teacher. Teacher’s that use technology in the classroom are very well-rounded. I want to be that way as well. This course will give me the knowledge to be able to reach children on different levels. Children are always reading books in school. But, when children use technology in the classroom, it gives them something fun and educational to look forward to in school. I love to see the excitement on children faces when they can use the computer. Children love to see things moving on a screen and hearing a voice talking back to them on a technology device. I will be able to know how to use technology in the classroom and be able to answers my student’s questions as well. Overall, I will gain from this course hands on experience for using technology as an educator to shape my classroom in a unique way to help children succeed on every level.
Here I have included four live links as my resources: