Introducing Mobile Technology Into Your Classroom

 

            

It can be intimidating to try something new in your classroom. This is especially true with technology. I believe that technology should make the work of teachers easier while creating an environment that excites and engages students.

 

Be Clear and Consistent
 

Don't take it for granted that your students will know what you're thinking. If you fail to list expectations early, students will explore their device in ways you might not anticipate.Be explicit about your expectations, and don't make assumptions.

 

Substitute Regular Activities

 

Instead of trying something completely out of the ordinary from the get-go, replace one of your usual activities with technology. For example, have students type on virtual sticky notes instead of writing on paper ones. Students can send you an email in place of filling out an exit slip. Practice math facts using virtual flashcards. Use a camera to record a science presentation. Explore an atlas app instead of flipping thorough a textbook. Simple activities will build your confidence (and your students' confidence!) with using one-to-one technology in your classroom.

 

 

 

 

Perfect Ed Tech Activities for Beginners

  

 

Have students complete a written classroom activity as if it was online.

Ever have your students write a diary from the perspective of a character or famous person? Why not have them create a blog instead? Take a look at various blog sites (Blogger and WordPress are two of the most popular) and create a template for your students to fill in.

 

Tweet!

Want students to summarize information? Ask them to tweet the lesson – that is, have them write summaries of 140 characters or less, as if they were writing on Twitter. Or create a template for a web page and ask students to use it to design a webpage about the content they are studying.

 

How teachers should go about evaluating their use of technology in the classroom

When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows many more students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills than is typical in teacher-led lessons.

       ******This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.


 

 

Miss Barbosa's Educational Philosophy

            I believe that education is an individual, unique experience for every student who enters a classroom. In order for children to benefit from what the school offers, I think teachers must fully understand the importance of their job. First, I believe that teachers must consider teaching to be a lifestyle, not a mere forty-hour-a-week job, because a teacher's goals for his/her students encompass much more than relaying out-of-context facts to passive students. As professionals entrusted with the education of young minds, teachers must facilitate learning and growth academically, personally, and ethically. By providing a quality education to each individual in one's classroom, a teacher equips children with the tools necessary for success in life.

           Learning must begin with motivation and inspiration. Students deserve an educator's passion for both the subject at hand and learning as a whole. Teaching and learning become a simultaneous journey for both the teacher and students.

            In choosing to become a teacher, I have made the commitment to myself and my future students to be the best academic, personal, and ethical role model I can be. It is my goal to have a mutually enriching teaching career by keeping an open mind and continually communicating with my peers and students. I am prepared to rise to the challenges of teaching in the 21st century, and I promise to try to provide an honest, well-rounded education to every student I encounter.

 

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES USED

Job Chart

A Job Chart serves several purposes in a classroom. First, it helps keep the classroom running smoothly. Second, it enlists the help of the students and makes the workload lighter. Finally, and most importantly, it allows all students to contribute to the successful operation of the classroom. Class jobs are usually rotated weekly, with students participating in the best way they can for the betterment of the group. Often overlooked, yet very effective, a class job chart can include every student in the classroom in numerous ways.

Popsicle Sticks

Popsicle Sticks involves putting each child’s name on a popsicle stick (found at craft stores) and placing all the sticks in a jar. Whenever the teacher requires students to make teams, complete a task, or answer a question, a popsicle stick is randomly chosen from the jar. This strategy ensures that every child in the classroom has a chance of being asked to complete the task and done so in an unbiased manner.

Student Information Binder

Important data such as assessments, observations, IEPs and notes can be kept together in one place. The teacher can use this information to ensure that all students are included and participating in the classroom program. With the binder, I can easily combine information into a Student Information Binder which will support the implementation of an inclusive curriculum.

Student-Centered Learning: Giving Students a Say

      

    

     Student-centered learning is an approach to education that focuses on the needs and interests of the student. A typical classroom might feature a teacher standing in front of rows of desks, giving one lecture to a room full of students. A student-centered classroom would ideally have no “front” of the room. Students might work individually while the teacher walked around, guiding students as needed.

 

 

 

        

Many people seem to believe that students, especially children and adolescents, lack the maturity and focus to have a say in their education. They fear that, if given the choice, students will ignore schoolwork altogether, in favor of more “fun” activities. When students are an active part of the learning experience and believe that what they’re learning is both important and exciting, they will be willing to put in the effort.

 

 

       

A common misconception about student-centered learning is that there is no structure. Students simply do what they want all day, regardless of its educational value. In fact, student-centered learning simply means that the student is at the center of the learning process.
 



******This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.