Standard+7


 * TEACHING STANDARD #7 ** : Uses technology effectively to achieve student learning objectives.

//** "Always desire to learn something useful." **// --Sophocles

During my tenure at ASD, I have developed a reputation for being a techie. The truth is that I'm more of a dabbler than an expert. But, when something goes wrong and someone needs a quick-fix to at least limp along until the experts show up, my colleagues call me. During the NESA Winter Training Institute, one of the presenters was having problems with her set up. My colleagues came and got me, and I remedied the problem.

I see the benefits of using technology in the classroom. After all, most of our students frequently have their hands on something that needs a charge about every 12 hours. Their "screen time" is certainly much greater than my screen time decades ago. What I try to stay away from is using technology just for the sake of technology. If I'm to use technology in the classroom, it ought to be to enhance the learning experience and not serve as a substitute for a low-tech learning experience. That is to say, if paper and pencil will do the trick, there's no point using something that's wired to achieve the same end.

The images below capture some of what has happened in my classroom over the years. I've found that a shower curtain with a map of the world traced on it works better as a tool to teach G3 map skills than any video or fancy online puzzle or games. On the one hand, "Old school" self-paced activities of cards with passages and choices at the bottom of each card provides great practice opportunities for learning how to use context clues to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. (That practice "in the lab" as I like to call it, has to be followed up by real-world reading, or opportunities to apply those skills to their own real books.) On the on the other hand, videos of students teaching lessons offer a fabulous means for students to demonstrate their understanding of a lesson and an opportunity for them to review the lessons they teach and make adjustments in their understanding of the concepts. BrainPOP videos offer a fantastic means of front loading information at the start of a unit on electricity, ecosystems, or weather and climate. Each student is responsible for watching a video on a topic related to the main topic, taking notes on a form, and sharing the information with classmates. This year I got fully on the bandwagon with adding student work to homeroom digital portfolios. Each one of the students who sees me during the foreign language has an ESL page on her/his digital portfolio. Each ESL page features a video or two of the student demonstrating an area of knowledge.





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What's not pictured above is my portion of the ESL team NESA Virtual School page. I've kept the page updated and useful over the years. In some years, I've used it more than others. Last year I used the chat feature to check for understanding of science and social studies concepts. This year, I kept the extra activities going. When the school had a NVS drill in February, I created a virtual classroom videos of lessons that focused on certain aspects of words study.

In the future, I would like to see students create something with technology--perhaps using their knowledge of computer programming (possibly on Scratch or Alice) to create a project that demonstrates their knowledge of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. My concern for technology in education is the tendency towards consuming tech that someone else creates as opposed to students creating tech of their own. More on that at another time.

I believe in using technology that we already have in house. I started my in-class notes on a spreadsheet-captured-by-a-screenshot process last year and kept it going this year. I have to admit that I have been spot on this year about taking notes about my interactions with the students I support and forwarding those notes to homeroom teachers (and at times to other support teachers) within an hour of the class. As a reminder, the notes feature the teacher's teaching focus, what each student did, the student's questions/misconceptions, changes I may have made to the lesson, and possible future steps. The first time I sent a screenshot to one of my new teachers, she remarked, "Cool! What app did you use?" Kim-app--how 'bout that?