My technological world starts at home. In my home we have several technology devices that make my life easier and, what I hope is more efficient, although I think somedays technology makes my life more complicated and stressful. But I digress, that is for another post, on another day. Currently at home there is a tie between two devices for the top spot. I'm not sure I could live without my smartphone, or my laptop which is tapped into the home wifi network. Well, actually I could live without them, but they both make my life much easier. The phone is an instant way to connect with me no matter where I am at. It acts as a telephone, a digital message center (text, email, and voice), a calendar (when I remember to put stuff into it), an access point to all my social media friends, and many more things that I don't even use it for on a regular basis. For instance it's a mini gameboy for one of my sons on a long car ride or as they wait for me to finish an appointment. The laptop offers similar functions but on a slightly larger, easier on the eyes, type of scale. The laptop is also great for processing documents and providing typed communication of all types. It also acts as great warehouse to store photos, and music that I love. These two devices offer me the convenience of many, but built into small portable packages that work for me.
At our home we have many of the modern day convinces that many middle class Americans enjoy. Which when you actually think about it, are just to numerous to mention. We all know what technology has changed and improved for us over the years. We are slightly different from many of our neighbors and peers, in the fact that we still have a landline phone in the house that requires wires and electricity to operate it at all times. For some reason we continue to hang on to this out-dated piece of technology. Probably more for a sense of stability than anything else. After all, the line, in theory, can't just get up and move as easily with you where ever you go.
My classroom offers a large amount of technology to use with my students in many different ways. I am blessed to have a classroom set of iPods and a MAC laptop to sync them with. I also have document camera that is hooked up to a projector (which can also project my laptop screen if I choose). I do have a Mimio contraption that hooks up to my white board and magically "turns" it into a smartboard - however, the device sits, unused, in my filing cabinet. Maybe one day I will receive enough training on it to finally understand how it works. I also have digital cameras and a camcorder to use as needed (they are not stored in my classroom, but I do have access to them if I should need them). A computer lab is located right down the hall from my classroom and provides my students with the necessary equipment to write, edit, and publish their writing, power points, and various other types of presentations.
I'm very lucky to have an administrator who understands the need to be up to date on technology in the classrooms. He is constantly seeking our opinions on new technology and how it could work for us, and asking us what we need in our classrooms. At this present time I would like to see iPads in the classrooms. That is not something that we have, but it is something that we are trying to work towards. We are also working towards trying to write a technology policy that allows students to use their own personal devices on our wifi. Both pieces that we are working toward provide many new opportunities for our students that are different from what they currently have or are using.
My administrator is also aware of the benefits that can be gained by attending conferences and training specific to the area of technology and education. Our school has had the opportunity to send several teachers to large technology conferences, which benefits the whole school when those same teachers bring back new ideas and a renewed sense of what they can do with what types of devices that they already have.
I'm hoping that the current class I am taking at GVSU will assist me in many ways. I'm hoping that I am able to learn about things that I can use, and then turn around and apply it not only in my classroom but with other staff members as well. For instance, when we created a collections folder in Google docs, I showed it my principal right away, and it is already being implemented as a way to conveniently share lesson plans and curriculum maps between the two of us. I am also hoping that this class will make me more comfortable with using the internet as a learning resource for my students, for more than just informational research.
Overall, I can not imagine going back to way my life was before the "Zack Morris" style phone hit my life back in the '90's and forever changed how I communicated with people. My life is now operates in more of an instantaneous response for a need for information, or gratification of some kind, only because I can get it by using technology. I no longer need to wait to take care of paying a bill, sending flowers, or finding out a fact until I get home - I can do it all from my smart phone while out walking my dog if I want to.
http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/blog/2011/05/20/building-character-with-service-projects/#comment-64730
ReplyDeleteFor future reference, try and make a new blog post to add your Blog Response Comment -- instead of adding it as a comment to your blog post.
ReplyDeleteI am like you where I rely on my smart phone for much. When I was in South Africa last month for 3 weeks, I didn't use my phone because I didn't want to pay huge fees. And I often caught myself reaching into my pocket to pullout my phone just to check the time . . . I had to buy a watch. Heh.
I've never seen a class that has a classroom set of iPods, but I have seen classroom iPads so I hope you can upgrade in the future. My experience is that iPads are quite a bit better than iPods, as you'd expect, but that the workflow is better when kids have their own iPads instead of sharing where the iPads stay in the classroom. Little things are more difficult with a classroom set of iPads instead of 1-to-1 like the iPads not being customized to work with individuals students. But this is still cutting edge technology for schools so there will be growing pains as things are figured out. Good luck to you as a pioneer. ;~)