Monday, May 2, 2011
Week 1 Blog 1
I love to teach things of relevance...things that touch people, on the emotional level, but it must also make them think about its application, its worldliness, its historical importance. I teach 8th grade reading and English which I love. But I feel smothered at times by all these objects and alignments and objectives. I just want to teach and reach...all else be damn. I'm not going to lie. I'm not big on technology in the classroom. I'm a pencil and paper gal. I do use my overhead for presentations and such, but I'm not big on taking critical classroom time for web-searches/scavenger hunts or putting presentations together. To me, that's what technology classes are for. Therefore I have no idea as to how to answer the question about how I would like to integrate technology into my classroom because I don't (at the time). My kids do complete projects, but they must do these outside of the classroom and present to the class. But using class time, to me, is a major no-no.
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I think one of the challenges is creating projects that have students learning while they do them. The traditional projects I did when I first started teaching were pretty "crafty" and showed learning, I guess, but students didn't necessarily learn from them while completing them. I use websearches instead of lectures at times, to present background material or basic facts. I'm looking forward to this course and finding new ways of getting better at the integration piece! Is technology pretty accessible to students in your school?
ReplyDeleteYou can schedule time, yes.
ReplyDeleteI am so new to all of this technology stuff that right now it seems really overwhelming. Some of the things other students in this class mentioned sound so interesting, but I have a feeling that I won't see anything like a smart board in the classrooms near me as we live in a rather poor area. Some of my youngest child's friends do not even have beds or bedrooms. Many children receive free lunch. Several of my youngest child's friends do not even have any printed materials including books in the tiny apartments that they live in. They do have T.V.s and video gaming equipment however. I want to learn about anything that can help improve prospects and abilities for all students, but I wonder how practical it will be for those of us who live in financially depressed areas?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I really admire your honesty, and think it will be a key force driving your increased knowledge of technology. Until recently I too favored a pen and paper. Even with the limitless organization apps for my Ipad I still prefer to write out my 'to do' list on the back of an old envelope. In order to jump on the 'technology bandwagon' I had to really put some effort into learning and then forcing myself to practice new means of using technology until it became habit.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your dislike for wasted time, hopefully last week's 'bookmark' assignments helped give you ideas for structured lesson plan ideas. I know a couple of my teachers share your mentality on the importance of using time wisely, and after showing them our assignment they seemed much more comfortable in at least giving technology another try.