TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

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Technology in the Classroom Poketha L. Ruffin Averett University W422 ED 509 Instruction Via Digital Media

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

Description I can remember my first year of teaching. I went into my first classroom and spent hours cutting out hand drawn letters. I spent an unnecessary amount of money on small buttons and felt in order for the word wall that I created to look like a quilt. I was so enthusiastic about setting up my classroom. I had two old computers and a printer that was later taken away because it was being recycled for parts. I would buy buckets of chalk and the only technology that I would use was an old overhead projector and the TV that cart played a DVD. Twelve years, four schools, and a different district later, technology has changed the face of my classroom, no more buckets of chalk for me. My school is approximately three years old. Each classroom has a Promethean Board, document camera, Flip camera with a tripod, and a surround sound speaker system in the ceiling. The main technological challenges that we face is that many of our students do not have access to computers at home and the school only has two laptop carts per pod. I have one of the larger classrooms and I try to take full advantage of my space. I have been told that my classroom looks like a college dorm room. There are bright bold colors, a variety of posters from famous jazz musicians to a large map of the seven continents, and pictures of my family throughout the room. I like for my students to feel as if they are in a welcoming, safe, and fun environment when they enter my classroom. As a child I was always curious about the past. I hate to hear my student walk into the classroom and say that they hate history, so I do my best to create an atmosphere that is engaging and will inspire them to learn.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM I teach social studies to sixth grade middle school students. We are on a block schedule and I see my students every other day. My curriculum ranges from the geography of North America and its indigenous people to the Civil War. Academically my students are diverse. Around 85% of the student population is African-American but their family situations are very different. My class sizes vary according to which block of students I am teaching. We have grouped our students according to their math classes and my honors and Pre-Algebra math classes are smaller than my inclusion blocks. Class size ranges from 19 to 30 students. The special education population is diverse as well. I have students that have been labeled as Intellectually Disabled and need prewritten notes given to them to students with Asperger Syndrome that are so high functioning that they only require consultation services for their IEP accommodations. This is a great description of your teaching situation. While it wandered a bit in the middle, it was easy and fun to read and gave all the important details. Reflection One must acknowledge that teaching in any classroom can be challenging. There are

lessons to vary according to learning styles, behaviors to redirect and pacing guides. I try my best to target the unique learning styles of my students through my delivery, yet there are times when it seems that regardless of the strategies I utilize my students have a hard time grasping certain content. For the last three years the one category that not only my students, but also sixth grade students throughout the district have scored poorly on is the unit for the explorers. I begin the unit with a power point that has notes with brief facts and pictures about each explorer. The students write the notes in their interactive notebook on the left and right side. In additionedition to the notes about the explorers students also take notes about the motivating forces impelling the explorers, the obstacles they faced with navigation and the new land, and their accomplishments.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM After the students take their notes, I show digitally uploaded portraits of the explorers and their ships on the Promethean Board. We examine their ships on the Promethean Board and I then show short films that further describe their journeys in detail. This usually takes up most of the

day. I may assign a worksheet for homework and I ask my students review the notes for the next class. The next time that I see the students we begin with a review of previous material. This is usually in the form of three or four questions being answered in their notebook and later checked for accuracy during class discussion. We further build upon the lesson by recalling background information. Students are reminded that Native Americans live in the country and we compare the relationships that each European nation had with the Native Americans. We discuss the areas of conflict and cooperation. My goal is to have my students conceptualize the many points of view that my may have arisen during this time. I want them to understand that the explorers saw new land and opportunity. On the other hand Native Americans did not believe that the land could be owned but did believe it could be shared. This is done through an open discussion and prompting of the students. We will also use the workbooks that correlate to the content then the students create a graphic organizer that places in the facts in order. The graphic organizer is usually a two-column chart. Students will then have some form of homework and can be expected to have a review and a quiz the next meeting. I know that based on their age and lack of historical facts they are unable to identify with the experiences that the explorers had. My students cannot imagine black and white television sets let alone a time with without electricity, running water, or refrigeration. My curriculum allots for a greater amount of time for this section, but I am usually behind with pacing in this unit, so I speed past the explorers and move to the next concept hoping that my students were able to grasp the content. In the back of my mind I know that the students need something hands

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM on. But with a steadily approaching deadline and few ideas I can only ask my students to

continue to study their notes. Yet I am disappointed time after time when scores are posted. I see that me students have not done well. Most of the disappointment is self-directed. I am angry with myself for not helping my students connect with the content. I go back in my head and think about what I could do differently and, how I can help my students take ownership of their learning. Nice link to achievement and references to connections and the amount of notes. Analysis What has recently occurred to me is that my students cannot connect to the material because they cannot manipulate it. They are unable to put place themselves in a densely forested new land with a people that they have never seen and a language they have never heard. But, if I could give them the facts and allow them to speak for the explorers, students may recall the subject matter more easily. One of the best ways I thought to afford students with the opportunity to discover the past is through technology. I really like iMovie. My students could create short movies to include environments that were explored, possible dialogue, portraits of each explorer, background information and encounters that may have occurred with the Native Americans. After the initial notes were taken, I would have my students create a storyboard on Word. Students would be assigned specific roles and be responsible for researching their historical facts on a web-based encyclopedia. They could even pull videos or images from Discovery Education and insert them into the movie. The next step would be for them to address the obstacles, motivations, and accomplishments of the explorer. The text could be added in Power Point and then transferred into iMovie. I would need at least a week for this project and presentation, but it would be well worth the time if my students were able to learn about the explorers from an iMovie.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM History translates to students as his story. I realized that my students could not retain the information because it was not pertinent them. They were not able to make a connection to

the explorers because they could not relate to them. By having my students create and present in iMovie they are able retain the facts by manipulation. When they create the iMovie they are able to imagine what the explorers saw and describe their feelings. They actually have to reach inside of themselves and become an explorer in a new land. They are the ones that have to envision what it would feel like to meet a new people and hear a new language. They have to become the explorer searching for the seven cities of gold and understand what frustration he must felt. A connection to the material will form because my students can relate to the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the explorers. In turn, the content is not only retained in order for the students to take an exam but they have been informed, engaged, and had an experience that will has made them explores as well. This is all done with the use of technology. It will give the students a lesson beyond the word on the paper. Twelve years ago when I first began teaching I could not have imagined that I would have the classroom that I do today. I remember being shocked that I would no longer user chalk again because I had white boards. Presently I use some form of technology everyday in my class, but I use the technology. What I have learned is that if my students are not able to operate the technology then they are not able to fully engage in the learning. Technology in the classroom has become the new graphic organizer. The students are able to take foundational concepts and facts and dissect it for their understanding. I have learned many things in this class and the best lesson has been to put the learning in my students hands. ~20 This one of the best papers to date for this assignment. Great job!