As I sit here at my desk, I am wondering what is new in technology. And what should the focus of technology really be? I think that too often we get so consumed in making sure that teachers are aware of new technologies, that we forget about who educational technology is really for…..the students. We can train and train teachers until our noses turn blue, but what do those teachers actually take back and share with their students? Too often, I have observed teachers using the SMART board in their classrooms, but not allowing the students to use the board. Is that not defeating the purpose of the SMART board? What do you do to ensure that students are using the technologies that you train teachers on? And what’s a new technology that you are using in your classroom?
I am always wondering what other states are doing when it comes to integrating technology into to the classroom. The last “new” things included wikis, blogs, podcasts, etc, and I am wondering if these have become commonplace in other districts around the world. I am unsure. They are certainly not commonplace in the district I work in. What are some ways that you are using blogs, wikis and podcasts in your classrooms?
Why have I taken so long to post? Been busy! I have to talk about my experience in Silver Springs, Maryland at Discovery. Each day was well planned and offered lots of different opportunities to learn. The people at Discovery are fantastic! The educators that were there were very open and ready to listen to what you had to say and freely discuss what is going on in their districts. The first day we created a video showing things that we loved about discovery with a song in the tune of Boom De Ah Da (don’t know if I spelled that right). The videos as a whole were awesome! Throughout the week, there were awesome presentations that were all relevant to what needs to be done in the classroom. One that stood out was by Hall Davidson and how we can use our cell phones in the classroom. Instead of telling students no you can’t bring them to school, lets use them as a resource! All of the presentations were wonderful, all of them! They had various activities for us including a Carnival that was loads of fun! One of my co-workers had an unfortunate accident, and Discovery was just great! Lance Rougeux was definitely a standout for me. My co-worker had to go to the hospital and he stayed there until she left and really seemed to care about what happened to her. I have to give it up for Lance, he really went above and beyond the call of duty. I would tell anyone, everyone, to join the Discovery Educator Network. You will not only learn a wealth of information, but you will be surrounded by fun people who love their job and who will gladly share information with you for your growth. I enjoyed every second of my experience at the institute in Maryland, and would love to go again. You should too!
This year is my first year as an instructional technology specialist. I work with 4 other women, and we are responsible for helping to integrate technology in the 10 schools we are each assigned to. I have enjoyed working in this position this year, and have learned so many things about integrating technology into the classroom. People across the world are using effective tools to make a difference in the way students today learn. Web 2.0 is really making a difference in the way students learn. I wonder what programs individuals feel are the most effective learning tools used in classrooms today. I would love to hear what other people are doing and what is working in their districts and schools.
Wow, I didn’t even know that I had my own Den blog….I feel so priviledged! There is so much about the use of technology that I want to learn about! I have to scrape and find out things by myself, and that’s fine. I am glad that there are those out there who are willing to share and help others to grow, even if you have to reach outside of your inner circle. Today I enjoyed my first day at SCASL. This is my first year in attendance, and I must say that so far, so good. I am learning so much from others, and I am thankful for the opportunity to learn. Though I feel ‘on my own’, the journey is going to be an eventful one!
