On March 10, 2014 I was able to attend a presentation lead by Andina Sullivan, a technology support specialist. Andina works very closely with classrooms across San Diego to help integrate and implement technology in the classroom. There were may valuable tools and hints that I learned in this presentation.
Guidelines for Technology Use: During this presentation I was able to learn about specific rules that all educators should follow when incorporating technology use with their students. The first main piece of information that I learned was that not all parents are necessarily comfortable with their students using technology. Because of this, you need to make sure that parents sign a waiver giving you permission to give their students technology access. It is a good idea to present this waiver with student enrollment packets at the beginning of the year. Because not all students may have permission to use technology, you need to make sure that you provide those students with paper resources that they can use that does not involve technology. You need to be sure that you are planning accordingly! Students also need to be sure that they are signing a "Responsible Users" contract to make sure that they are aware of the rules and proper use of technology in the classroom. Before students can access technology this form needs to be signed. When contacting parents or students over email never use a personal email. Always use your work email. You also need to be aware of timing. If you email a student at midnight the parent might have concerns of why emails are being sent at that time. When emailing students, use school hours. Another important rule to be aware of is to keep all emails between parents. It is important to keep these emails so that you can refer back to them if any need arises. It is also important to be organized and keep all these emails in a safe location that is not easily accessible. Another piece of technology that can be used is text messaging. If you plan on texting a student you need to make sure that parents are aware of this and most importantly permit this type of contact. When students type up projects on the computer they need to figure out a way to turn it in to the teacher. The most common way of doing this is printing. Not all students have access to a computer at home and for most families they do not have the money to spend on printing reports on the computer. In order to be ethical as a teacher you need to make sure that you are not requiring students to print projects at home that may cost extra money. A big notion that not all teachers are weary of is the fact that not all students have access to technology at home. It is important to find out this information with your students so you can plan accordingly. A strategy to see if all students have access to technology at home is to give out a short survey at the beginning of the year to help get to know your students. If a student does not have technology access at home, you should not give that student a homework assignment regarding technology. All students need to be able to access the materials at all times, including at home. Strategies for Implementing Technology A huge concept that all teachers should be aware of when implementing technology is the 4 C's and SAMR. The 4 C's stand for Communication, Critical thinking, Creativity, and Collaboration. SAMR is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. When creating effective high thinking tasks in the classroom you want to use these acronyms to hopefully Redefine a task in regards to technology. Substitution is the lowest level and this can be seen as writing a report vs. typing a report. The students are still completing a report regardless. The next level above substitution is Augmentation. Augmentation is when a function of a requirement is changed or added. This can be seen as adding electronic tools. They create a functional change but there is not a change in the task at hand. The level above Augmentation is Modification. Modification is when a task is redesigned. This can be seen as an ordinary book report compared to creating a student newsletter with digital images detailing their books. This is almost impossible to complete without using technology. The last and most desirable level is Redefinition. This level means that it is completely impossible to not use technology to complete the task at hand. These projects include movies, podcasts, or animations. We want to have our students using their critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills to create redefined projects that are completely impossible without technology. At this level, students are truly challenging themselves and most importantly developing those 4 C skills. Helpful Programs/Applications: Throughout Andina's presentation I also learned about cool technology tools and apps that can be used with students in the classroom. The first app that caught my attention was Remind 101. Using this app you can text your students without them receiving your personal phone number. Parents of course need to accept and give permission for their students to use this app. A helpful way to present this option is to give a presentation about this during "Back to School Night". Another application I learned about was Nearpod. This is a presentation tool that allows students to follow along with the presentation on their own technology devices. This can help students from getting distracted as they will be able to use their technology devices like their cell phones to stay engaged in the classroom. You can even give your students quizzes during the presentation so that students can participate in the learning experience. Overall, this was a very helpful presentation. Students need to be given opportunities to work with technology to expand their critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and most importantly creativity. It is especially important to note that it is important to mix up the classroom. You don't always need to use collaboration and technology. Give students a multitude of learning experiences to help them grow and develop! |
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May 2015
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