In keeping up with the 21st Century learning environment, I will be experimenting with technology in our classroom for the entire week of April 15, 2013. All students are encouraged to bring a technology device of their choice to class. These devices can include: iPhones, cell phones, iPads, tablets of various kinds, computers, Netbooks, iPods, e-readers, MP3 players and even PDAs. For students who do not have access to your own device, one will be provided to you.
BYOD Purpose:
Students will become creative thinkers and constructing better knowledge.
Students will interact and collaborate with peers
Students will develop effective communication skills
Students will develop cultural and global awareness
Students will develop better problem solving skills
Students will become Critical Thinkers and Decision Makers
Students will be better prepared for the outside world
BYOD Benefits:
Students will be engaged in the learning experience
Students will take notes easier
Increased Communication with Students and Teachers
Improved participation & Collaboration in Groups
Increased reading activities
Makes home learning easier
As your teacher, I will play the role of facilitator, letting you lead their own learning
In summary, mobile learning technologies will offer my class an engaging and flexible approach to learning.
I would like to incorporate computers into my classroom for all students to be able to use on a daily basis. Since many of us have computers in our homes. Our children use those computers while away from home on a regular basis. So why not insure that computers are used daily to deliver and enhance instruction in the classroom. Computers come in various forms such as desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablets, iPads and personal digital assistants. I would love to see all students in my classroom become technologically more advanced with the use of different types of computers in the classroom. To foster growth in my classroom, I would use computers as cognitive tools to enhance instruction.
Computers will be used to provide motivation in the classroom. I will use instructional strategies via computers on a daily basis. I hope that these computers will help improve students’ achievement in Language Arts. With the use of computers, I hope to get an opportunity to learn about all the needs of students and communicate with them more effectively. Students in my classroom would their intellectual resources coupled with instructional activities to create a better learning environment. I am ready to interact and have a positive influence with each of you. With the use of computers in my classroom, all students will be able to acquire information from remote sources and to share their information with other students beyond the immediate classroom. I hope all students will be able to learn from each other via email, text or chat while using computers to share information.
My classrooms will be rich in technology encouraging all students to participate in learning process. I believe that computers are important in contributing to effective learning time for students. It will help me teach content skills. Students will acquire information and practice skills relating to weekly lessons. Computer based instructional strategies help students in my classroom develop higher order skills. Providing differentiated instruction in my classroom will be made easier with the use of computers.
Computers in the classroom will assist me to management tasks more efficiently, thus allowing ease of instruction and active learning. Students in my classroom will have a number of opportunities to seek information and apply that information to solve problems. Since some students learn best with the hands on approach, these computers will provide a wide variety of challenges to enhance their knowledge.
I’m excited about using educational applications like Google to get students to collaborate with each other. I will be using computerized based lessons to transform hard to understand instructions into visually engaging activities for all students. Students will be easier to instruct for a greater understanding while keeping them engaged in lessons. I will provide an unlimited amount of resources with the use of computers in the classroom for hands on approach to learning things never imagined before.
In Summary, for this new school year, I will use computers to deliver and enhance instruction in the classroom on a daily basis. I will be providing individualized instruction to all students while giving instructional opportunities needed to foster growth in education. All lessons will give students an opportunity for more personalized instruction that lends to the most efficient use of learning in my classroom.
Visual images are visual representation of the knowledge that students acquire. I will use visual aids in my classroom to enhance learning. These aids will be used to help me teach written and oral information with oral and graphical representation. Since many students are visual learners, visuals are extremely important in the classroom. Students learning styles are different and they can interact with varied learning experiences. Visual aids will help me and students organize information.
I will also use visuals to help my students bring education into realistic experiences. To help students understand complex ideas, I use different types of visuals in the classroom. Visuals such as educational posters, graphic organizers, overhead projectors, charts, graphs, pictures, maps, power point presentations and models to support learning in the classroom. I plan on having visuals that are well-organized so that lessons can be effective in my classroom. Students will be able to relate and retain information more efficiently. Be prepared to work in groups to develop visual images and express your ideas creating and using graphic organizers.
I find when students engage in the classroom it contributes substantially to learning. When I include visual modes in teaching practices it impacts how students think about themselves as learners and scholars. Visuals help students to cultivate habits of feeling and relating with others. I find that students who use visual images as a part of learning discover new concepts and strategies that enhance their knowledge and have a better understanding of the world.
I will use graphic organizers to help students with reading comprehension and learning disabilities to construct meaning. Graphic organizers are a pictorial way of organizing information and constructing knowledge. Using graphic organizers to enhance instruction in the classroom for all subjects will help students to understand what they are learning independently or with a group activity. Graphic organizers come in various shapes, colors and formats from a chart to a diagram. They will be used to structure writing projects that help in brainstorming, problem solving and making decisions in my classroom. The graphic organizers I plan on using will display and convey information that is simple to understand especially for all students at different developmental levels.
I will also use story maps and mnemonic illustrations which are graphic organizers to assist all students in acquiring content information. I will use story maps to improve reading comprehension and organize teaching and learning. It will help students to retain and recall information with better comprehension. I believe that visuals are an important part of learning in the classroom because it gives students an opportunity to learn how to think creatively. Visuals encourage students to write better. It also enhances discussions while working in groups, thus a better understanding of the subject matter.
Think back to when you were a child and started reading a book. Most books for young children have lots of pictures or images that tell a story. Since most students comprehend better reading a story and viewing pictures, visuals are such an important part of learning. It gives a clearer understanding of the subject matter.
Overall, I believe that visuals will be able to enhance instruction in the classroom. Visuals aids in my classroom will create an interactive learning experience for students on all levels. In today’s society of new technologies, students are visually stimulated by the use of computers, iPads, smart phones, video games, smart boards, Promethean, or white boards. etc. I challenge my students to solve problems and think critically through visuals. Finally, I believe that visuals are important in the classroom because it promotes students to be expressive and creative while learning.
A new technology plan is needed at my school to service diverse families in this multi-cultural community of Florida. My 7th grade Language Arts students are between the ages of eleven and fourteen. Some are English Language Learners (ELL) and Students with disabilities (SWD) who can benefit from assistive technologies. The students are culturally diverse students. 75% of the students read on grade level and 25% of the students struggle with reading on grade level. These students will benefit from the use of iPads or tablets in my classroom.
Introducing iPads into my classroom can provide multiple advantages in addition to what I am already using. An iPad is a portable computer with a touch screen, or is known as a hand-held computer. It has all the capabilities as a computer and a camera for face time with each other or photo sharing. iPads will provide collaboration between students for active learning. These tablets can be projected onto an interactive projector via wireless capabilities. My students can improve their typing skills amongst other things.
My 7th grade students will be able to read books, create a Google group account via the Internet; create, record and edit audio files using tablets; navigate the Internet; create virtual flashcards to utilize; create, edit, and save digital video technology such as computer based files and DVDs; and create blogs on the Internet. iPads are lightweight and mobile with software of significant benefits for diverse learners and students with special needs. These software applications can address special needs issues dealing with fine motor skills and other cognitive challenges for which traditional computers are ineffective. iPads can be customized to each student needs and gives them a sense of achievement.
iPads would definitely offer relative advantages in my classroom. Utilizing iPads in my classroom can assist with me various teaching styles. Instead of lecturing, these tablets can provide visuals for my students while reading and writing. My students will be engaged and encourage to participate in class. Home learning will be easier to submit to me thus, eliminating the need for me to physically grade papers by using the pen technology feature on the iPad. These iPads are equipped with all the functions of a PC making the technology integration an easier one. The interactive feature of an iPad provides assistive technology that will enable my 7th grade students with impairments or disabilities to perform difficult or impossible tasks.
The use of iPads in my classroom will be a tool to assist me with instruction once purchased and made available to my 7th grade class for the upcoming school year. There is a plethora of educational information found in the Internet to be accessed with the use of iPads. Through the use of iPads, my students will be able to increase problem solving skills and gain new information in content area. Other teachers can also benefit with the use of iPads in their classrooms.
Teachers can use the below Instructional Resources to assist with classroom management:
My school is located in the Miami-Dade County School District. It serves students in grades six through eight with diverse backgrounds. This school is impressive with their curriculum of the International Baccalaureate, (IB) Middle Years Program. This program serves the high achieving students of which more than seventy-five percent of the students score at or above mastery in reading, mathematics and science. The school also has a regular population of classes for the remaining students.
The staff at my school provides high quality service the students, parents and the community. With a student population of 1175 students, the teacher student ratio is sixteen to one. Approximately seventy-five percent of the students are Hispanics, sixteen percent black, eight percent white and two percent other. There are also English language learners and students with disabilities. To continue with providing students and opportunity to excel and keep up with 21st Century technology, my school will benefit from the use of Student Response Systems.
The focus at my school is on curriculum with technological instructional programs to motivate students to explore new ideas. We are dedicated to maintaining the highest academic standards through creative educational strategies with the use of technology. Our Students have the opportunity to grow academically and personally as they’re faced with important challenges in today’s society. I have high expectations for all of my students. The current practices at my school can be enhanced with the use of Student Response Systems. All students can benefit from employing the use of Clickers as it is increasingly more interactive for them.
I can create technology based assessments with the use of clickers for daily lessons. Teachers can also increase students’ use of this technology by adding interactive web-based lessons with daily instruction. Teachers can use the student response system to assess students’ comprehension through quizzes of daily lessons. Teachers can also create teams for assessment challenges.
All teachers at my school can use the Student Response System as educational tools to gather real-time feedback from students in the classroom. This wireless device system will engage teachers and students in classroom lessons. Clickers allows students to respond to questions quickly and interactively. The teacher poses questions to students who then use the clicker to respond to the correct answer.
There are many advantages to student response systems such as engaging students with lessons, documenting attendance and progress, monitor the progress of students, improve critical thinking skills and increase student achievement and knowledge retention. The student response system is a great resource for media feedback for teachers and students. The system also gives students surveys and shows the results immediately.
I will use various strategies to enhance learning in my classroom with the student response system. Prior to doing a lesson, I can prepare questions for students. Having classroom discussions and debates among students will help me adjust the instruction for a better understanding of the concepts. Another strategy I will employ is to do group assignments with peer assessments for feedback from students. I will also gauge students’ difficulties by asking questions and checking for understanding of each lesson. Using feedback after sharing students’ answers with the class will give students an opportunity rethink answers and I adjust to my instruction.
I will be able to incorporate this technology as a learning aid into my classroom while reducing paperwork and labor. Students will have a better understanding of concepts. Differentiated instruction is made easier for me as I have many students who work at their own pace.
Student Response System can easily assess student achievement. The system can use assessment as a teaching tool while delivering content in the classroom. It can also be used for differentiated instruction and preparing for standardized tests. The system provides immediate formative and summative feedback in the classroom. Learning is amplified and test scores increased with the use of the system.
Assessing student achievement is very important to me. Using the clickers in my classroom will give me the ability to assess students in real-time and have the instant access of how to improve their highest potential. By obtaining students’ performance results immediately from assessments, my school and the district can track progress throughout the entire school year with the data obtained from the student response systems. Overall, student response systems captures assessment data in real-time to determine student comprehension allowing teachers to immediately identify student learning needs and modify the lesson as needed. This system will be a great educational tool to use for all teachers.
The World We Live In Today 