Today you observed students learning with technology. What did you learn from your observations? How did the students respond to the technology? Describe how your teaching might be influenced.
Observing the students today, I could tell that the children enjoyed working with all the sources of technology. They especially loved the fact that they had something to teach college students! And really, they definitely knew more than me. But the technology also motivated the students, and you could tell there was a lot more participation from them as a result. Shelby, one of the students, knew exactly what to do when technology failed. The instructor had teached the students how to problem-solve by teaching them how to handle these sorts of encountered problems. And Shelby was ready to show us what she had learned. The students were proof that technology inside the classroom works--technology sparked their motivation; the students were learning course material, as well as learning how to use technology; and technology was enhancing the student's comprehension. In the brief time period that I spent observing the fifth graders, I realized how advantageous technology can be in education. I would certainly do at the teacher advised and use technology in my own classroom. Depending on what my classroom in supplied with, I think I would like to use a similar technology program as the teacher I observed today. Although Smart Board is great, the convienience of a program that can be projected anywhere in the classroom would be especially appropriate for school. I would also use pom-pilot like the teacher advised; this way, I can provide back-up plans in case the Internet fails, and students can observe Internet pages with guarenteed saftey. The teacher's activities were fun (I would have loved them as fifth grader!). Certainly, I would strive to teach lessons in a likewise creative and exciting way. Like the teacher said today, if she, a 47-year old woman, can learn to use technology efficiently and successfully in the classroom, than so can I... if given sufficient supplies! : )
Today in the fifth grade classroom, I learned many things about the technology used within elementary schools. Each of the SU students were paired with either one or two fifth graders and worked through a bunch of activities used on the smart board. The teacher, Mrs.Skeeter, went through many demonstrations with the class and had each of the pairs come up to interact with the board. Since us SU students were the guests, she had us control the pen while the fifth graders supplied the answer. I learned that the smart board really is not as scary as it first seems. Throughout the activities, the students were helping the college students’ work with the board, which confirmed its ease. However, Mrs.Skeeter did warn us that the smart board may start acting up. Half way through the lessons, the board started to have problems and Mrs. Skeeter had to switch to the laptop. She mentioned that she always has a backup plan when technology goes through difficulties, which encouraged me to plan on creating backup plans in my own classroom. The students responded very well to the interactive smart board. As I stated before, the fifth graders helped us SU students to work through the demonstrations. They really seem to be knowledgeable and feel comfortable while working with the technology. Furthermore, when the students found out they were going to be using the smart board, I heard many cheers and hoorays. I think that it is great for the students to be so excited about working with technology. This will better prepare them for the upcoming years of education and the ever-changing technology world. My teaching will definitely be influenced by this experience. Mrs.Skeeter gave great tips and preparation for utilizing the smart board. Furthermore, she was able to show us how to work around technology difficulties by quickly switching to the laptop. I will make sure to always have a back-up plan in my future classroom because I have seen first hand how technology can go through difficulties. Additionally, I will be excited to begin integrating the smart board into lessons because of the excitement seen by each fifth grader. I love seeing students so excited to learn through the use of technology. This experience has opened my eyes to the utilization of technology in classrooms.
I thought this was really neat to see how much this teacher incorperated technology into her classroom. This lesson today was a lesson you could teach without technology or a lesson that you could incorperate technology into. I leaned how many advandates there can be when using technology in a lesson. It is something different that keeps the students interested and engaged in the lesson. THe interactive writing board is a great way to keep the students interacting with the lesson and with eachother. I think this teacher was the perfect example of a balance between face to face interactions and teaching and teaching through technology. Although the teacher had students use technology and the writing board, she did not eliminate the students simple paper and pencil writing and working in pairs. The only problem I saw with her lesson was the writing board stop working, but she had a backup plan for her problem. Some teachers do not have that type of laptop so if it stopped working they would have to switch to another method of teaching but this would work as long as the teacher was prepared.
Today we went to a fifth grade classroom to observe how they use technology. The students in the class seemed to like using the technology, and were very excited to be able to show college students what they knew about it. I was surprised how well they were able to use the technology. All of the students that went up to the board new exactly what they were doing and had no problem showing their college student how to use it. The technology, when it was working properly, made the class more interactive by letting each group go up to the board. Without technology such as this, it would be much harder for all the students to be able to contribute to the class in such an interactive way. After observing today, I can really see how technology can enhance a lesson. In my teaching I will try to incorporate as much technology as I can. Being secondary education, it might be harder because of the lack of equipment. The teacher explained today how No Child Left Behind focuses on students learning how to use technology before the high school level. The technology used today clearly enhanced the students learning and I will do my best as a new teacher to incorporate technology into my classroom.
I was pleased with how observations went today. I think I got a better appreciation of how technology can be adequately used in the classroom. I am usually very skeptical of technology in the classroom because I fear it takes away from the educational process. But today I saw technology used properly and at the appropriate level and found that it can be very useful to the teachers and the students.
The kids loved the technology their teacher was using! Every child wanted to be involved in the learning process because it meant they got to play with the cool "toy" that the teacher was using. In this particular classroom not only did the technology benefit the students, but it encouraged them to get involved in the lesson and participate in a meaningful way.
I think this may inspire me to be less harsh on technology in the classroom. Yes, it has it glitches but doesn't everything! If it is used properly and in appropriate amounts, it can inspire kids to learn; anything that does that is worth a shot
While observing in the class today I found that each student was excited about using the different variations of interactive technology. Although the students have used this technology before, they were eager to write with the different variations of pens. One of the students even asked if he could write instead of a member of our class. This shows that the students enjoy using the different technology while still participating in the discussion and lesson. I had the opportunity to work with a student who has difficulty hearing. This was a great experience because not only was I able to observe how she interacted with the technology but I also had the opportunity to use a microphone that was connected to her hearing device to help her better hear what was going on in the classroom. Every student in the class seemed to benefit and enjoy the use of the technology. Although things did not run smoothly at some points, overall the technology was dependable and engaging. Having this oppertunity to observe fifth grade students working with this technology has convienced me that it is an achievable goal and beneficial to my students' learning. I plan to take ideas from Mrs. Skeeter and incorporate technology into my lessons as much as possible.
I think that by using technology, as we did in the classroom today, it took up unnecessary time that we could have used for something else. Watching the students using technology, I noticed that although they were interested in a turn with the laptop and using the interactive board, they were bored when others had their turn. Using technology to demonstrate their knowledge was, I believe, the least effective way. The students were asked to find words in a newspaper that showed sequence and then were to write one word on the board using the interactive laptop to write. This process took longer than it should have. If the students were to tell the teacher the words, the teacher could have easily wrote them on the board and would have been done with that task ten minutes earlier; then there would have been more time for actual learning instead of just waiting. I notice that in a lot of classrooms today teachers try and integrate technology into the classroom, but it makes the assignment longer than it should be because of how much technology can actually set back a lesson. I think that there is much to learn about using technology wisely and efficiently in the classroom so time is not wasted on simple steps.
Today, I observed the students learning with technology. They really seemed to enjoy working with the laptop and the interactive writing tools. It seemed as if every student wanted to participate in the activities. The students were also very motivated, especially during the activity where they needed to rearrange the sentences into the correct order because there were all different answers. I realized that this kind of technology helps kids focus more. I also learned about the writing tool they had in the beginning. It was really cool how the kids could stay seated and write on the thing and it would show up on the board. That can keep kids from getting up out of their seats all of the time while still giving them a chance to interact with the lesson. I definitely would like all of the technology they had in their classroom for my classroom.
It was interesting to watch a live classroom, using technology in the everyday lessons. The students and teacher seemed very comfortable with the technology. It appeared that the teacher had learned how to incorporate the interactive board in all types of lessons. She even left the class with a hint of what they would be working on the following day, using the technology. The whole lesson went very smoothly. Sometimes, in the mist of our stress, trying to submit technology projects, we feel like technology never does exactly what you want it to. This lesson shows that with a little practice, technology can be a greatly beneficial tool in the classroom. The students were almost mesmerized by the technology. They were all quiet when they where supposed to listen to others. Each student worked hard on the assignments given to them. They were so eager for their turn to come to get to use the computer in front of the class. The boy I was working with, even whispered to the teacher, “can the 5th graders use the laptop pen now, instead of the Salisbury University students?” This served as an inspiration, to what my very own classroom could look like. It was nice to see all the different ways she used the interactive board. We always watch video clips and read about classrooms like this, but to see it in person was exciting.
Today observing the students in the classroom using technology was very fun and interactive. I learned about the technology they use everyday in their classroom and how excited they are to use it. The student I was paired up with was Meghan, and she was very excited for me to use the board. When I went up to answer a question, she showed me how to change the writing color, which I did and as other people were using the board, she told me how to use different parts of the board. It seemed like all the students enjoyed using the technology and were very excited to teach us students how to use it. I will definitley like to include this technology in my classroom as a future teacher. The teacher, Mrs. Skeeter who we observed loved using technology and I hope in my classroom we can afford to use this technology.
Today we observed the ideal way to integrate technology into the classroom. When technology fits and can be beneficial to the lesson, it should be incorporated. It should not be forced into lessons where it serves no purpose. I learned that technology can not only provide a great way to get students hands on involved in a lesson, but also be excited about it. If students are excited and hands on involved they are likely to learn more. I also learned there are numerous different versions of technology that can be used for the same purpose. Lastly, I learned that though technology is great, there can always be problems, have back up plan, maybe using a different, but similar type of technology.
They students we observed today were excited and confident to use the technology in the classroom. They seemed more excited about the lesson because they were able to use the technology themselves to answer questions. Because the technology was used multiple times in different ways, students had multiple opportunities to manipulate it while learning what the lesson was teaching.
Observing how well technology can be incorporated into the classroom, and the difference it makes in student motivation encourages me to use technology in my own classroom. When it easily and beneficially fits into a lesson, I fell I should use it. It is also good to know that there are many different ways to incorporate it, even within one lesson.
During Today's observations, I feel like the students really enjoy using technology in their classroom. I feel like the technology helped to get the kids involved in the classroom because I could notice that some kids didn't look like they were paying to much attention to the teacher, but as soon as they were called to use the board, they were alert and ready to help out. My student had some problems with the actual assignments but the technology helped him because we were able to break things down and have stuff moved around so that he could see what was going on in the class.
The use of technology in the classroom was very seamless. The switch between the actual board and the little writing board. I feel like I learned that a transition between the different uses can be seamless, but it really is affected by the whether or not you teach your students how to use the technology correctly. I also learned about the different types of interactive boards besides the promethean and smart boards. The biggest thing that I learned was the reaction that the students had when they had the ability to use the technology.
I think that I would use the technology in my classroom and in the same way that we watched her do it today, with the movement of sentences and circling of words. I think that this would be the biggest thing that I could use the boards for inside of my classroom.
After observing the students today, I realized that I need to start working with technology such as the one in the classroom today, more often. These 5th graders knew much more about technology being used than most of us college students. I was very surprised how much they knew and how well then used it when it was working properly. By using technology the lesson was more interactive and the students could get up and participate more, and they seem to enjoy it a lot more than an old-fashioned worksheet. My teaching is very much influenced by this technology demonstration. I want to try to incorporate any kind of technology into my lessons as much as I can to keep the students interacting in the classroom. Even though the technology does sometimes have its problems, it really surprised me how much the students understood this and even knew some of the shortcuts to solve the problems that it was having.
Observing the fifth grade students today, I learned a lot about different ways you could use technology in the classroom. Hebron is such a tech-savvy school, I was so impressed! The students really enjoy using technology and obviously understand how to use it really well. I like how the school has laptops available to rent out and personal palms. Also, how the teacher could move the projector anywhere in the room was really useful. She could have a small group using it in one corner while other groups use other resources. Her computer was really cool, too. She could turn the screen around and use a pen to write on it. This way, if her interactive board was acting up, she could still use the program the way it is meant to be used from the computer. The two students I was working with said they really enjoy using all the technology they do in the classroom. They said it made learning more fun. I definitely want to use a lot of technology in my classroom. I think students need to learn how to use these resources. Also, these activities are more engaging and sometimes students do not even realize they are learning!
When we observed the children interacting with the technology I learned that children really enjoy using technology. I also learned that they can benefit from using it also. I also learned that you always need to have a back up plan in case the technology does not work. The students loved having the technology in the room. They also knew how to use it and what to do when something went wrong.My teaching will be influenced by having me want to use more technology in my classroom now that I have seen how much the students liked the technology.
I was extremely impressed with the advanced technology in the clasroom we observed, as well as with how well the students respond to and interact with it. I suppose it is because they are used to the tools, but using the smart board came almost second nature to them, like a chalk board would for our generation. The only dilemma I noticed from where I was sitting, was that it didn't seem like everyone could see the projection because of the cart that the computer was on, but that may have just been from my seat, it seemed like the teacher organized the desks around the cart. The actual activities that we participated in were very productive, they offered a hands-on opportunity for us and the students and I think letting let interact with the technology really sparks their interest. Just the few simple activities we participated in proved how much more can be acomplished with these programs rather then just a cholk board or white board. I think this would be a great resource to have in my classroom, the only downfall I noticed was that it seemed like the teacher had a lot of down time because she didnt have to write on the board and the lessons were student-led, but it did seem like that method is most effectve.
I found that observing the fifth grade classroom was very interesting. I loved to see how excited the students were to show us, SU students, what they know about technology. I noticed that each student was eager to go up to use the smart board. This is a fun and easy way to incorporate technology and this teacher did it in a very successful way. I've never seen an e-beam just the interactive white boards and the promethean board. I found this piece of technology to be even more useful then the others I mentioned because like Mrs.Skeeter said she can easily move this e-beam easily anywhere she wants to go. With the promethean board there is a huge built in projector so all the activities must be in the same place. As a future educator I would love to have an e-beam. I also realized its very easy to have backup issues when dealing with this piece of technology so all teachers must have a backup plan just incase it malfunctions. Mrs.Skeeter was already prepared to have her students use the laptop. I also liked how she just did'nt use the technology but also incorporated writing at each students desk with paper and pencil. I am not an expert when it comes to technology but even Mrs.Skeeter said if she can do it being a lot older than most new teachers than anyone can. Trainings are always offered and there will always be a teacher who is more technology knowledgeable that I could ask for help if I need it.
I took a lot away from observing the students and the teacher using technology in the classroom. Up until this observation I had never seen this kind of technology used in the classroom. So, it was really neat to get to see how it all works with a real elementary school class. The students and the teacher seemed very used to the technology and very comfortable using it. The students seemed to really enjoy the technology in the classroom and I think they seemed to really benefit from it. There were a few little technological problems, but the teacher knw exactly what to do. In any of my previous schooling my teachers would usually not know how to fix the problem and would just move on from the technology. So, it was really great to see a teacher who really knows a lot about technology. I would definitely use this technology in my classroom I think it is very beneficial and it gives students a different way to learn, which is always a good thing.
While observing at Westside Elementary School I was introduced to the various forms in which technology can be integrated into the classroom. Before our visit I had always been apprehensive about using the SmartBoards. However, while we were observing in the fifth grade classroom all of the students were able to use this form of technology successfully. Also, it was apparent that the students have had continuous exposure to using the SmartBoards because they were able to navigate through the software better then most of us college students. While partaking in Mrs. Skeeter's lesson the students were constantly being engaged. I believe that by incorporating technology into the classroom it helps to maintain the students focus as well as deliver the concepts that need to be taught. However, we were able to see the downside of using technology in the classroom too. During the lesson the SmartBoard was continuously becoming uncaliberated. But, immediately the teacher switched to using the laptop. From the students reactions it was obvious that they had encountered this problem before because they knew that they would have to use another form of technology. After having had the opportunity to observe a technology based lesson, I can guarantee that I will incorporate technology into my future lessons as much as possible considering its numerous benefits.
When observing the students in the classroom, I realized more than anything that seemed extremly comfortable with the technology. I noticed that at the age of 10, they were teaching us, and it was almost like second nature. This got me thinking that this generation is this technoligically savy now, who knows what technology will be developed in the future. Therefore, we as teachers have an obligation to prepare our students for the new and developed technology that is ahead of them. After watching these students with the technology I know that I would integrate technology into my classroom, not only becuase it is extremely effective it also would be unfair to my students if they were deprived of such a skill. In highschool we already know that there is little to no technology integration in the classroom, therefore if I fail to teach my students about computers and technology, these means that other kids will have an upper hand over them once they gradutate. I wont my students to be prepared for what faces them, and technology is deffinitly factor ahead of them. On the other hand, I noticed how much more fun the students were having with the subject being taught when the technology is involved. We have been taught several times that technology in the classroom is very effective in the students learning. But when concerning just the kid within that student, they are just having fun with this technology, and that in itself is a reason to have this integration in my classroom.
Observing the students, I learned that they love technology. They are extremely enthusiastic and willing to participate. In fact, they were so enthusiastic that they didn't want to share the technology with us college students:). The class we observed used a type of smart board (I can't remember the actual name), but it was portable. She stuck it to her white board and it projects a screen that becomes an interactive board. We also used a writing pad that is portable and can be passed from desk to desk. This way students can still use the interactive board without getting out of their seats. As I said above, the students love the technology. They want to participate and use it and it requires them to pay attention because if they want to use the board they need to know what they are talking about. I would love to have something like this in my classroom. I really think it would enhance my teaching. It would keep my students motivated and willing to learn. I think it would definitely be more fun for my students and they would be more willing to learn.
I learned a lot about the uses of technology in the classroom from my observations. I was able to see that technology can truely benefit students. The most important thing that I observed was the motivation that the children had when they were using the technology. On the other side of the situation, however, I saw some of the problems that can arise when working with technology. I was impressed with how the student's responded to any problems that came up. They seemed to know exactly what to do. The teacher stressed the importance of having a back-up plan. This might influence my teaching becuase if I am given the opportunity to include technology in the classroom, I will be sure to have back-ups in case something goes wrong. After seeing the teacher deal with any issues that she was having with the technology, I realized that it really isn't that big of a deal and now I'm not so apprehensive about using technology in my classroom.
observing the students in this class was very interesting to watch. All the children seemed to enjoy the activity. Mrs. Skeeter did a lesson on fact and opinion with the class while I was there. She had a list of sentences listed and then picked the students to come up and put a check next to the opinion sentences and a stamp by the fact sentences. I thought this was a great way to get the students to understand fact and opinion better. She also incorporated her lesson around it. She didnt just do the lesson through the interactive board she also did verbal teaching on background information on certain facts and opinions to get the students to better understand them. I thought that Mrs. Skeeter used the technology very well and it helped engage the students to learn and understand fact and opinion by actually getting out of their seats and choosing whether the sentences were fact or opinion. As the students got their name pulled to be able to go to the board, each one had a smile on their face and couldnt wait to participate. This is proof that students enjoy the technology in the classroom.
I think that this experience was a great one! And it will definetly influence my teaching. She showed how successful the technology can be when using it in the classroom along with getting students motivated to learn. I felt that doing this lesson and encorporating the board didnt take up anymore extra time that just a regular talking lesson would have. And in addition they didnt dread it. The students really enjoy it. And I think technology in a classroom was proven to be successful when observing this classroom.
After observing the students today, I was amazed with how knowledgable they were in respect to technology. That class showed me there is not need to fear that students will not understand how to use the technology. The students in the elementary school understood how to use the interactive board better than some college students. They appeared to be genuinely excited about the day's lesson. Eventhough the classroom visit did give me some ideas for my teaching career, it is still difficult to imagine using interactive boards on a regular basis in a high school class. I hope to be able to sit in on a high school English class that uses technology a lot before graduating.
The field visit to the classroom was very productive. It was a good opportunity to see a teacher using the tools that we are learning about. The teacher was confident in her abilities and quickly used problem solving skills to overcome any technical difficulties that arose. This was a wonderful role model for the students to learn from. I was surprised at how engaged the students were during the interactive writing activity. I expected them to become distracted during the wait time of other students walking to the board, doing thier part at the board, walking back to their seat, and then the teacher calling on the next person. This was not the case at all and students were interested and attentive. My partner was a bit shy at first and wanted me to write on the board for her. It was very easy for me to encourage her to try it. All of the students were very competent with the technology, even more so than some of us. I predict that in the middle schools we will end up learning from our students as well as teaching them. I also think that without technology integration we will not be able to engage them and hold their interest to achieve true understanding.
Observing the fifth grade students gave me hope for when I teach. They were all very cooperative and they seemed to enjoy what they were doing. This could have just been because they had visitors in their classroom, but it was good to see that they got excited about what they were learning. As far as technology goes, we ran into a few problems, but the students and the teacher worked through them and accomplished the lesson objectives. Though the students in my group were two of the least talkative kids in the class, I got them to talk to me a little about how often they use the technology and how affective they think it is. They said they use the technology frequently, at least three times per week. They also said that they like using it because it keeps them interested. I think they learn more using it because they are more engaged in the lesson, rather than if they were just reading a textbook and responding to written questions. I liked the was Ms. Skeeter taught. She kept her students on their toes because she was very energetic. Teachers need to be this way, or studnets will get bored and not want to learn. I also liked how Ms. Skeeter used sticks to pick students to answer questions or come to the board. I think this made it fair, as well as getting all studnets to participate. Some wont want to volunteer, so they will sit in the back without providing any input. So, drawing sticks is a good idea when the same students are the only ones willing to participate.
I think I will use some of the same strategies as Ms. Skeeter. Her studnets seemed to learn a lot, and they were used to the flaws of the technology. Instead of getting irritated with the technology, Ms. Skeeter just shrugged it off and moved onto something else in order to get the objectives met.
I learned a lot from my observations, and it has definitely influenced my thoughts on technology. Even though I’ve always known that technology gets students motivated, I realized just how much it actually does. All of the students were very excited to use the different devices that we had, and seemed to want to participate more than they probably would have otherwise. However, one of the devices didn’t seem to go over too well. I didn’t really like the handwriting board where each student had to write the answer. It made some students feel uncomfortable when they couldn’t write on it, and they quickly passed it to an SU student (it was hard!). I think that it should have what was being projected onto the screen on the actual board. It would have made it easier for students to write (they couldn’t see where they were writing, and didn’t have any lines or anything).
This will influence my teaching, because I will remember which pieces of technology that students responded well to and the perks of all of them (I’ve never been able to have an opportunity to see different forms of technology like that being used in the classroom). When I become a teacher, if I’m given the chance to choose a piece of equipment I want in my classroom, this will help me with my decision because I’ll remember the benefits and weaknesses of each one. I’ll also remember that students really want to be able to use the technology themselves and not just have the teacher do it for them. The students were all so eager to get a chance to use it themselves, and therefore it’s important to remember to let students have that experience. Many teachers just use the technology themselves because they don’t want the students messing it up or anything, but it’s important to give them an opportunity (after going over the rules).
Through observing the use of technology in the classroom on December 1st, 2008, I learned that technology can be used in a fun interactive way that includes every student in the classroom. It also taught me that technology can be used in correlation with traditional methods of communication, such as newspapers. When using the technology that was available some other students and I were having trouble using it. She taught me the importance of patience by giving me the time I needed to complete the task. If I was to feel rushed, it is possible that it would leave the classroom with a bitter taste for the technology being used. The students were having a great time using the technology in the classroom. Typically 5th graders crave attention, and these activities seemed like a positive way for students to get that attention. I feel as if the students were much more engaged then they would be when working with a textbook or in worksheets. It also gave the children a chance to get out of their seats and move around when working with the sentence ordering. My partner was a little timid when the portable writing computer came to our desk. This was probably because he was unsure about his answer rather than a fear of the technology itself. I hope that I am blessed enough to have the technology in my classroom that this teacher had in hers. Whether I do or not, I will be sure to plan activities using technology that include everyone in the class. I will also encourage my students at being confident in trying the technology, rather than pointing out when they mess up.
In the fifth grade classroom that we observed, the teacher was using her technology resources to teach the students about sequence words. The "SU student" was paired up with a fifth grader and we worked on our sequence activity. Knowing that we were going to share our answers while using technology definitely influenced and encouraged students to participate. When writing on the board, the fifth grade students showed their skills while majority of the "SU students" struggled in the beginning but then learned the ropes. I learned that as a teacher you can have a lesson and easily integrate the use of technology with it. The teacher in the classroom used it as a word find for sequence words and then we used the technology to drag sentences in the right order. Over all it was impressive and awesome to see that it was effective. I only hope that when I get to my teaching position, I can use techology in a fun, effective way just like our teacher in our observation class.
I observed the teacher in our 5th grade class using technology to teach the students about sequence words. An SU student was paired up with a fifth grader and we worked on a sequence activity. Using technology really influenced students to participate. They like going up to the board and doing the interactive activity. When we went up to the board, the fifth grade students told us SU students what the answer was and we circled or wrote the answer. We had a few problems but that was mainly with the teachnology acting up. I learned that as a teacher, I will be able to teach a lesson and integrate the use of technology with it. The teacher used it as a word find for sequence words and then we used it to drag sentences in the right order. Over all, it was very interesting to see that it was effective. It was alot like our white boards and interactive boards and I think they are a great installment in classrooms.
Observing in the classroom at Westside Intermediate was a great experience! I have always thought that technology may be appealing to students, but I also thought some would be discouraged by it. Aftering observing the class, it was great to see how excited students were about learning because of the use of the smart board and other technological tools used. Students were so eager to use the "pen" on the screen and seemed very engaged in what was going on. I noticed that some students were also shy and a bit nervous about using some of the tools as well. This experience motivated me to want to use more technology in the classroom when I become a teacher someday. I want it to be something fun for the students but also be used an effective learning tool. I would want to make sure all students got the oppurtunity to work with some of the technology, and I would be sure to encourage all students to take advantage of it, even the ones that may be shy.
It was nice to come in and watch this particular classroom. I have never seen so much technology used in an elementary classroom before. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen that much technology used in a classroom before, other than this Educ318 class. I am in a classroom this semester that doesn't use any technology at all, so it was a very different atmosphere. It was nice to see something different and to pick up some new teaching styles. Observing the students, I could tell they were very engaged in the learning process. I think the technology that was being used had a big part to do with this. The different strategies the teacher used made learning fun for the students. They were excited to participate, which was amazing to see. This experience definitely had a positive influence on my opinion towards technology in the classroom. I learned that I should have higher expectations for young students and technology. It also gave me more confidence and willingness to use technology in my future career as a teacher.
I think the students were very enthusiastic about learning when it came to the technology we saw in the 5th grade classroom. It was really cool to get to see what we are learning about really be integrated into the classroom. I am glad that we got to see the other side of it too. We got to see the technology acting up a little bit in the classroom. It was a good thing that she had multiple methods to incorporate the technology. We really got to see the students actually want to learn. I am glad to see them do there assignments writing before they use the technology. That way they are actually getting something out of it. I can see how they could get caught up in the actual technology and not the actual work. Overall it was really cool to see what the technology could do.
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Observing the students today, I could tell that the children enjoyed working with all the sources of technology. They especially loved the fact that they had something to teach college students! And really, they definitely knew more than me. But the technology also motivated the students, and you could tell there was a lot more participation from them as a result. Shelby, one of the students, knew exactly what to do when technology failed. The instructor had teached the students how to problem-solve by teaching them how to handle these sorts of encountered problems. And Shelby was ready to show us what she had learned. The students were proof that technology inside the classroom works--technology sparked their motivation; the students were learning course material, as well as learning how to use technology; and technology was enhancing the student's comprehension. In the brief time period that I spent observing the fifth graders, I realized how advantageous technology can be in education. I would certainly do at the teacher advised and use technology in my own classroom. Depending on what my classroom in supplied with, I think I would like to use a similar technology program as the teacher I observed today. Although Smart Board is great, the convienience of a program that can be projected anywhere in the classroom would be especially appropriate for school. I would also use pom-pilot like the teacher advised; this way, I can provide back-up plans in case the Internet fails, and students can observe Internet pages with guarenteed saftey. The teacher's activities were fun (I would have loved them as fifth grader!). Certainly, I would strive to teach lessons in a likewise creative and exciting way. Like the teacher said today, if she, a 47-year old woman, can learn to use technology efficiently and successfully in the classroom, than so can I... if given sufficient supplies! : )
Today in the fifth grade classroom, I learned many things about the technology used within elementary schools. Each of the SU students were paired with either one or two fifth graders and worked through a bunch of activities used on the smart board. The teacher, Mrs.Skeeter, went through many demonstrations with the class and had each of the pairs come up to interact with the board. Since us SU students were the guests, she had us control the pen while the fifth graders supplied the answer. I learned that the smart board really is not as scary as it first seems. Throughout the activities, the students were helping the college students’ work with the board, which confirmed its ease. However, Mrs.Skeeter did warn us that the smart board may start acting up. Half way through the lessons, the board started to have problems and Mrs. Skeeter had to switch to the laptop. She mentioned that she always has a backup plan when technology goes through difficulties, which encouraged me to plan on creating backup plans in my own classroom.
The students responded very well to the interactive smart board. As I stated before, the fifth graders helped us SU students to work through the demonstrations. They really seem to be knowledgeable and feel comfortable while working with the technology. Furthermore, when the students found out they were going to be using the smart board, I heard many cheers and hoorays. I think that it is great for the students to be so excited about working with technology. This will better prepare them for the upcoming years of education and the ever-changing technology world.
My teaching will definitely be influenced by this experience. Mrs.Skeeter gave great tips and preparation for utilizing the smart board. Furthermore, she was able to show us how to work around technology difficulties by quickly switching to the laptop. I will make sure to always have a back-up plan in my future classroom because I have seen first hand how technology can go through difficulties. Additionally, I will be excited to begin integrating the smart board into lessons because of the excitement seen by each fifth grader. I love seeing students so excited to learn through the use of technology. This experience has opened my eyes to the utilization of technology in classrooms.
I thought this was really neat to see how much this teacher incorperated technology into her classroom. This lesson today was a lesson you could teach without technology or a lesson that you could incorperate technology into. I leaned how many advandates there can be when using technology in a lesson. It is something different that keeps the students interested and engaged in the lesson. THe interactive writing board is a great way to keep the students interacting with the lesson and with eachother. I think this teacher was the perfect example of a balance between face to face interactions and teaching and teaching through technology. Although the teacher had students use technology and the writing board, she did not eliminate the students simple paper and pencil writing and working in pairs.
The only problem I saw with her lesson was the writing board stop working, but she had a backup plan for her problem. Some teachers do not have that type of laptop so if it stopped working they would have to switch to another method of teaching but this would work as long as the teacher was prepared.
Today we went to a fifth grade classroom to observe how they use technology. The students in the class seemed to like using the technology, and were very excited to be able to show college students what they knew about it. I was surprised how well they were able to use the technology. All of the students that went up to the board new exactly what they were doing and had no problem showing their college student how to use it. The technology, when it was working properly, made the class more interactive by letting each group go up to the board. Without technology such as this, it would be much harder for all the students to be able to contribute to the class in such an interactive way. After observing today, I can really see how technology can enhance a lesson. In my teaching I will try to incorporate as much technology as I can. Being secondary education, it might be harder because of the lack of equipment. The teacher explained today how No Child Left Behind focuses on students learning how to use technology before the high school level. The technology used today clearly enhanced the students learning and I will do my best as a new teacher to incorporate technology into my classroom.
I was pleased with how observations went today. I think I got a better appreciation of how technology can be adequately used in the classroom. I am usually very skeptical of technology in the classroom because I fear it takes away from the educational process. But today I saw technology used properly and at the appropriate level and found that it can be very useful to the teachers and the students.
The kids loved the technology their teacher was using! Every child wanted to be involved in the learning process because it meant they got to play with the cool "toy" that the teacher was using. In this particular classroom not only did the technology benefit the students, but it encouraged them to get involved in the lesson and participate in a meaningful way.
I think this may inspire me to be less harsh on technology in the classroom. Yes, it has it glitches but doesn't everything! If it is used properly and in appropriate amounts, it can inspire kids to learn; anything that does that is worth a shot
While observing in the class today I found that each student was excited about using the different variations of interactive technology. Although the students have used this technology before, they were eager to write with the different variations of pens. One of the students even asked if he could write instead of a member of our class. This shows that the students enjoy using the different technology while still participating in the discussion and lesson. I had the opportunity to work with a student who has difficulty hearing. This was a great experience because not only was I able to observe how she interacted with the technology but I also had the opportunity to use a microphone that was connected to her hearing device to help her better hear what was going on in the classroom. Every student in the class seemed to benefit and enjoy the use of the technology. Although things did not run smoothly at some points, overall the technology was dependable and engaging. Having this oppertunity to observe fifth grade students working with this technology has convienced me that it is an achievable goal and beneficial to my students' learning. I plan to take ideas from Mrs. Skeeter and incorporate technology into my lessons as much as possible.
I think that by using technology, as we did in the classroom today, it took up unnecessary time that we could have used for something else. Watching the students using technology, I noticed that although they were interested in a turn with the laptop and using the interactive board, they were bored when others had their turn. Using technology to demonstrate their knowledge was, I believe, the least effective way. The students were asked to find words in a newspaper that showed sequence and then were to write one word on the board using the interactive laptop to write. This process took longer than it should have. If the students were to tell the teacher the words, the teacher could have easily wrote them on the board and would have been done with that task ten minutes earlier; then there would have been more time for actual learning instead of just waiting. I notice that in a lot of classrooms today teachers try and integrate technology into the classroom, but it makes the assignment longer than it should be because of how much technology can actually set back a lesson. I think that there is much to learn about using technology wisely and efficiently in the classroom so time is not wasted on simple steps.
Today, I observed the students learning with technology. They really seemed to enjoy working with the laptop and the interactive writing tools. It seemed as if every student wanted to participate in the activities. The students were also very motivated, especially during the activity where they needed to rearrange the sentences into the correct order because there were all different answers. I realized that this kind of technology helps kids focus more. I also learned about the writing tool they had in the beginning. It was really cool how the kids could stay seated and write on the thing and it would show up on the board. That can keep kids from getting up out of their seats all of the time while still giving them a chance to interact with the lesson. I definitely would like all of the technology they had in their classroom for my classroom.
It was interesting to watch a live classroom, using technology in the everyday lessons. The students and teacher seemed very comfortable with the technology. It appeared that the teacher had learned how to incorporate the interactive board in all types of lessons. She even left the class with a hint of what they would be working on the following day, using the technology. The whole lesson went very smoothly. Sometimes, in the mist of our stress, trying to submit technology projects, we feel like technology never does exactly what you want it to. This lesson shows that with a little practice, technology can be a greatly beneficial tool in the classroom.
The students were almost mesmerized by the technology. They were all quiet when they where supposed to listen to others. Each student worked hard on the assignments given to them. They were so eager for their turn to come to get to use the computer in front of the class. The boy I was working with, even whispered to the teacher, “can the 5th graders use the laptop pen now, instead of the Salisbury University students?”
This served as an inspiration, to what my very own classroom could look like. It was nice to see all the different ways she used the interactive board. We always watch video clips and read about classrooms like this, but to see it in person was exciting.
Today observing the students in the classroom using technology was very fun and interactive. I learned about the technology they use everyday in their classroom and how excited they are to use it. The student I was paired up with was Meghan, and she was very excited for me to use the board. When I went up to answer a question, she showed me how to change the writing color, which I did and as other people were using the board, she told me how to use different parts of the board. It seemed like all the students enjoyed using the technology and were very excited to teach us students how to use it. I will definitley like to include this technology in my classroom as a future teacher. The teacher, Mrs. Skeeter who we observed loved using technology and I hope in my classroom we can afford to use this technology.
Today we observed the ideal way to integrate technology into the classroom. When technology fits and can be beneficial to the lesson, it should be incorporated. It should not be forced into lessons where it serves no purpose. I learned that technology can not only provide a great way to get students hands on involved in a lesson, but also be excited about it. If students are excited and hands on involved they are likely to learn more. I also learned there are numerous different versions of technology that can be used for the same purpose. Lastly, I learned that though technology is great, there can always be problems, have back up plan, maybe using a different, but similar type of technology.
They students we observed today were excited and confident to use the technology in the classroom. They seemed more excited about the lesson because they were able to use the technology themselves to answer questions. Because the technology was used multiple times in different ways, students had multiple opportunities to manipulate it while learning what the lesson was teaching.
Observing how well technology can be incorporated into the classroom, and the difference it makes in student motivation encourages me to use technology in my own classroom. When it easily and beneficially fits into a lesson, I fell I should use it. It is also good to know that there are many different ways to incorporate it, even within one lesson.
During Today's observations, I feel like the students really enjoy using technology in their classroom. I feel like the technology helped to get the kids involved in the classroom because I could notice that some kids didn't look like they were paying to much attention to the teacher, but as soon as they were called to use the board, they were alert and ready to help out. My student had some problems with the actual assignments but the technology helped him because we were able to break things down and have stuff moved around so that he could see what was going on in the class.
The use of technology in the classroom was very seamless. The switch between the actual board and the little writing board. I feel like I learned that a transition between the different uses can be seamless, but it really is affected by the whether or not you teach your students how to use the technology correctly. I also learned about the different types of interactive boards besides the promethean and smart boards. The biggest thing that I learned was the reaction that the students had when they had the ability to use the technology.
I think that I would use the technology in my classroom and in the same way that we watched her do it today, with the movement of sentences and circling of words. I think that this would be the biggest thing that I could use the boards for inside of my classroom.
After observing the students today, I realized that I need to start working with technology such as the one in the classroom today, more often. These 5th graders knew much more about technology being used than most of us college students. I was very surprised how much they knew and how well then used it when it was working properly. By using technology the lesson was more interactive and the students could get up and participate more, and they seem to enjoy it a lot more than an old-fashioned worksheet. My teaching is very much influenced by this technology demonstration. I want to try to incorporate any kind of technology into my lessons as much as I can to keep the students interacting in the classroom. Even though the technology does sometimes have its problems, it really surprised me how much the students understood this and even knew some of the shortcuts to solve the problems that it was having.
Observing the fifth grade students today, I learned a lot about different ways you could use technology in the classroom. Hebron is such a tech-savvy school, I was so impressed! The students really enjoy using technology and obviously understand how to use it really well. I like how the school has laptops available to rent out and personal palms. Also, how the teacher could move the projector anywhere in the room was really useful. She could have a small group using it in one corner while other groups use other resources. Her computer was really cool, too. She could turn the screen around and use a pen to write on it. This way, if her interactive board was acting up, she could still use the program the way it is meant to be used from the computer. The two students I was working with said they really enjoy using all the technology they do in the classroom. They said it made learning more fun. I definitely want to use a lot of technology in my classroom. I think students need to learn how to use these resources. Also, these activities are more engaging and sometimes students do not even realize they are learning!
When we observed the children interacting with the technology I learned that children really enjoy using technology. I also learned that they can benefit from using it also. I also learned that you always need to have a back up plan in case the technology does not work. The students loved having the technology in the room. They also knew how to use it and what to do when something went wrong.My teaching will be influenced by having me want to use more technology in my classroom now that I have seen how much the students liked the technology.
I was extremely impressed with the advanced technology in the clasroom we observed, as well as with how well the students respond to and interact with it. I suppose it is because they are used to the tools, but using the smart board came almost second nature to them, like a chalk board would for our generation. The only dilemma I noticed from where I was sitting, was that it didn't seem like everyone could see the projection because of the cart that the computer was on, but that may have just been from my seat, it seemed like the teacher organized the desks around the cart. The actual activities that we participated in were very productive, they offered a hands-on opportunity for us and the students and I think letting let interact with the technology really sparks their interest. Just the few simple activities we participated in proved how much more can be acomplished with these programs rather then just a cholk board or white board. I think this would be a great resource to have in my classroom, the only downfall I noticed was that it seemed like the teacher had a lot of down time because she didnt have to write on the board and the lessons were student-led, but it did seem like that method is most effectve.
I found that observing the fifth grade classroom was very interesting. I loved to see how excited the students were to show us, SU students, what they know about technology. I noticed that each student was eager to go up to use the smart board. This is a fun and easy way to incorporate technology and this teacher did it in a very successful way. I've never seen an e-beam just the interactive white boards and the promethean board. I found this piece of technology to be even more useful then the others I mentioned because like Mrs.Skeeter said she can easily move this e-beam easily anywhere she wants to go. With the promethean board there is a huge built in projector so all the activities must be in the same place. As a future educator I would love to have an e-beam. I also realized its very easy to have backup issues when dealing with this piece of technology so all teachers must have a backup plan just incase it malfunctions. Mrs.Skeeter was already prepared to have her students use the laptop. I also liked how she just did'nt use the technology but also incorporated writing at each students desk with paper and pencil. I am not an expert when it comes to technology but even Mrs.Skeeter said if she can do it being a lot older than most new teachers than anyone can. Trainings are always offered and there will always be a teacher who is more technology knowledgeable that I could ask for help if I need it.
I took a lot away from observing the students and the teacher using technology in the classroom. Up until this observation I had never seen this kind of technology used in the classroom. So, it was really neat to get to see how it all works with a real elementary school class. The students and the teacher seemed very used to the technology and very comfortable using it. The students seemed to really enjoy the technology in the classroom and I think they seemed to really benefit from it. There were a few little technological problems, but the teacher knw exactly what to do. In any of my previous schooling my teachers would usually not know how to fix the problem and would just move on from the technology. So, it was really great to see a teacher who really knows a lot about technology. I would definitely use this technology in my classroom I think it is very beneficial and it gives students a different way to learn, which is always a good thing.
While observing at Westside Elementary School I was introduced to the various forms in which technology can be integrated into the classroom. Before our visit I had always been apprehensive about using the SmartBoards. However, while we were observing in the fifth grade classroom all of the students were able to use this form of technology successfully. Also, it was apparent that the students have had continuous exposure to using the SmartBoards because they were able to navigate through the software better then most of us college students. While partaking in Mrs. Skeeter's lesson the students were constantly being engaged. I believe that by incorporating technology into the classroom it helps to maintain the students focus as well as deliver the concepts that need to be taught. However, we were able to see the downside of using technology in the classroom too. During the lesson the SmartBoard was continuously becoming uncaliberated. But, immediately the teacher switched to using the laptop. From the students reactions it was obvious that they had encountered this problem before because they knew that they would have to use another form of technology. After having had the opportunity to observe a technology based lesson, I can guarantee that I will incorporate technology into my future lessons as much as possible considering its numerous benefits.
When observing the students in the classroom, I realized more than anything that seemed extremly comfortable with the technology. I noticed that at the age of 10, they were teaching us, and it was almost like second nature. This got me thinking that this generation is this technoligically savy now, who knows what technology will be developed in the future. Therefore, we as teachers have an obligation to prepare our students for the new and developed technology that is ahead of them.
After watching these students with the technology I know that I would integrate technology into my classroom, not only becuase it is extremely effective it also would be unfair to my students if they were deprived of such a skill. In highschool we already know that there is little to no technology integration in the classroom, therefore if I fail to teach my students about computers and technology, these means that other kids will have an upper hand over them once they gradutate. I wont my students to be prepared for what faces them, and technology is deffinitly factor ahead of them.
On the other hand, I noticed how much more fun the students were having with the subject being taught when the technology is involved. We have been taught several times that technology in the classroom is very effective in the students learning. But when concerning just the kid within that student, they are just having fun with this technology, and that in itself is a reason to have this integration in my classroom.
Observing the students, I learned that they love technology. They are extremely enthusiastic and willing to participate. In fact, they were so enthusiastic that they didn't want to share the technology with us college students:). The class we observed used a type of smart board (I can't remember the actual name), but it was portable. She stuck it to her white board and it projects a screen that becomes an interactive board. We also used a writing pad that is portable and can be passed from desk to desk. This way students can still use the interactive board without getting out of their seats. As I said above, the students love the technology. They want to participate and use it and it requires them to pay attention because if they want to use the board they need to know what they are talking about. I would love to have something like this in my classroom. I really think it would enhance my teaching. It would keep my students motivated and willing to learn. I think it would definitely be more fun for my students and they would be more willing to learn.
I learned a lot about the uses of technology in the classroom from my observations. I was able to see that technology can truely benefit students. The most important thing that I observed was the motivation that the children had when they were using the technology. On the other side of the situation, however, I saw some of the problems that can arise when working with technology. I was impressed with how the student's responded to any problems that came up. They seemed to know exactly what to do. The teacher stressed the importance of having a back-up plan. This might influence my teaching becuase if I am given the opportunity to include technology in the classroom, I will be sure to have back-ups in case something goes wrong. After seeing the teacher deal with any issues that she was having with the technology, I realized that it really isn't that big of a deal and now I'm not so apprehensive about using technology in my classroom.
observing the students in this class was very interesting to watch. All the children seemed to enjoy the activity. Mrs. Skeeter did a lesson on fact and opinion with the class while I was there. She had a list of sentences listed and then picked the students to come up and put a check next to the opinion sentences and a stamp by the fact sentences. I thought this was a great way to get the students to understand fact and opinion better. She also incorporated her lesson around it. She didnt just do the lesson through the interactive board she also did verbal teaching on background information on certain facts and opinions to get the students to better understand them. I thought that Mrs. Skeeter used the technology very well and it helped engage the students to learn and understand fact and opinion by actually getting out of their seats and choosing whether the sentences were fact or opinion. As the students got their name pulled to be able to go to the board, each one had a smile on their face and couldnt wait to participate. This is proof that students enjoy the technology in the classroom.
I think that this experience was a great one! And it will definetly influence my teaching. She showed how successful the technology can be when using it in the classroom along with getting students motivated to learn. I felt that doing this lesson and encorporating the board didnt take up anymore extra time that just a regular talking lesson would have. And in addition they didnt dread it. The students really enjoy it. And I think technology in a classroom was proven to be successful when observing this classroom.
After observing the students today, I was amazed with how knowledgable they were in respect to technology. That class showed me there is not need to fear that students will not understand how to use the technology. The students in the elementary school understood how to use the interactive board better than some college students. They appeared to be genuinely excited about the day's lesson. Eventhough the classroom visit did give me some ideas for my teaching career, it is still difficult to imagine using interactive boards on a regular basis in a high school class. I hope to be able to sit in on a high school English class that uses technology a lot before graduating.
The field visit to the classroom was very productive. It was a good opportunity to see a teacher using the tools that we are learning about. The teacher was confident in her abilities and quickly used problem solving skills to overcome any technical difficulties that arose. This was a wonderful role model for the students to learn from. I was surprised at how engaged the students were during the interactive writing activity. I expected them to become distracted during the wait time of other students walking to the board, doing thier part at the board, walking back to their seat, and then the teacher calling on the next person. This was not the case at all and students were interested and attentive. My partner was a bit shy at first and wanted me to write on the board for her. It was very easy for me to encourage her to try it. All of the students were very competent with the technology, even more so than some of us. I predict that in the middle schools we will end up learning from our students as well as teaching them. I also think that without technology integration we will not be able to engage them and hold their interest to achieve true understanding.
Observing the fifth grade students gave me hope for when I teach. They were all very cooperative and they seemed to enjoy what they were doing. This could have just been because they had visitors in their classroom, but it was good to see that they got excited about what they were learning. As far as technology goes, we ran into a few problems, but the students and the teacher worked through them and accomplished the lesson objectives. Though the students in my group were two of the least talkative kids in the class, I got them to talk to me a little about how often they use the technology and how affective they think it is. They said they use the technology frequently, at least three times per week. They also said that they like using it because it keeps them interested. I think they learn more using it because they are more engaged in the lesson, rather than if they were just reading a textbook and responding to written questions. I liked the was Ms. Skeeter taught. She kept her students on their toes because she was very energetic. Teachers need to be this way, or studnets will get bored and not want to learn. I also liked how Ms. Skeeter used sticks to pick students to answer questions or come to the board. I think this made it fair, as well as getting all studnets to participate. Some wont want to volunteer, so they will sit in the back without providing any input. So, drawing sticks is a good idea when the same students are the only ones willing to participate.
I think I will use some of the same strategies as Ms. Skeeter. Her studnets seemed to learn a lot, and they were used to the flaws of the technology. Instead of getting irritated with the technology, Ms. Skeeter just shrugged it off and moved onto something else in order to get the objectives met.
I learned a lot from my observations, and it has definitely influenced my thoughts on technology. Even though I’ve always known that technology gets students motivated, I realized just how much it actually does. All of the students were very excited to use the different devices that we had, and seemed to want to participate more than they probably would have otherwise. However, one of the devices didn’t seem to go over too well. I didn’t really like the handwriting board where each student had to write the answer. It made some students feel uncomfortable when they couldn’t write on it, and they quickly passed it to an SU student (it was hard!). I think that it should have what was being projected onto the screen on the actual board. It would have made it easier for students to write (they couldn’t see where they were writing, and didn’t have any lines or anything).
This will influence my teaching, because I will remember which pieces of technology that students responded well to and the perks of all of them (I’ve never been able to have an opportunity to see different forms of technology like that being used in the classroom). When I become a teacher, if I’m given the chance to choose a piece of equipment I want in my classroom, this will help me with my decision because I’ll remember the benefits and weaknesses of each one. I’ll also remember that students really want to be able to use the technology themselves and not just have the teacher do it for them. The students were all so eager to get a chance to use it themselves, and therefore it’s important to remember to let students have that experience. Many teachers just use the technology themselves because they don’t want the students messing it up or anything, but it’s important to give them an opportunity (after going over the rules).
Through observing the use of technology in the classroom on December 1st, 2008, I learned that technology can be used in a fun interactive way that includes every student in the classroom. It also taught me that technology can be used in correlation with traditional methods of communication, such as newspapers. When using the technology that was available some other students and I were having trouble using it. She taught me the importance of patience by giving me the time I needed to complete the task. If I was to feel rushed, it is possible that it would leave the classroom with a bitter taste for the technology being used.
The students were having a great time using the technology in the classroom. Typically 5th graders crave attention, and these activities seemed like a positive way for students to get that attention. I feel as if the students were much more engaged then they would be when working with a textbook or in worksheets. It also gave the children a chance to get out of their seats and move around when working with the sentence ordering. My partner was a little timid when the portable writing computer came to our desk. This was probably because he was unsure about his answer rather than a fear of the technology itself.
I hope that I am blessed enough to have the technology in my classroom that this teacher had in hers. Whether I do or not, I will be sure to plan activities using technology that include everyone in the class. I will also encourage my students at being confident in trying the technology, rather than pointing out when they mess up.
In the fifth grade classroom that we observed, the teacher was using her technology resources to teach the students about sequence words. The "SU student" was paired up with a fifth grader and we worked on our sequence activity. Knowing that we were going to share our answers while using technology definitely influenced and encouraged students to participate. When writing on the board, the fifth grade students showed their skills while majority of the "SU students" struggled in the beginning but then learned the ropes. I learned that as a teacher you can have a lesson and easily integrate the use of technology with it. The teacher in the classroom used it as a word find for sequence words and then we used the technology to drag sentences in the right order. Over all it was impressive and awesome to see that it was effective. I only hope that when I get to my teaching position, I can use techology in a fun, effective way just like our teacher in our observation class.
I observed the teacher in our 5th grade class using technology to teach the students about sequence words. An SU student was paired up with a fifth grader and we worked on a sequence activity. Using technology really influenced students to participate. They like going up to the board and doing the interactive activity. When we went up to the board, the fifth grade students told us SU students what the answer was and we circled or wrote the answer. We had a few problems but that was mainly with the teachnology acting up. I learned that as a teacher, I will be able to teach a lesson and integrate the use of technology with it. The teacher used it as a word find for sequence words and then we used it to drag sentences in the right order. Over all, it was very interesting to see that it was effective. It was alot like our white boards and interactive boards and I think they are a great installment in classrooms.
Observing in the classroom at Westside Intermediate was a great experience! I have always thought that technology may be appealing to students, but I also thought some would be discouraged by it. Aftering observing the class, it was great to see how excited students were about learning because of the use of the smart board and other technological tools used. Students were so eager to use the "pen" on the screen and seemed very engaged in what was going on. I noticed that some students were also shy and a bit nervous about using some of the tools as well. This experience motivated me to want to use more technology in the classroom when I become a teacher someday. I want it to be something fun for the students but also be used an effective learning tool. I would want to make sure all students got the oppurtunity to work with some of the technology, and I would be sure to encourage all students to take advantage of it, even the ones that may be shy.
It was nice to come in and watch this particular classroom. I have never seen so much technology used in an elementary classroom before. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen that much technology used in a classroom before, other than this Educ318 class. I am in a classroom this semester that doesn't use any technology at all, so it was a very different atmosphere. It was nice to see something different and to pick up some new teaching styles. Observing the students, I could tell they were very engaged in the learning process. I think the technology that was being used had a big part to do with this. The different strategies the teacher used made learning fun for the students. They were excited to participate, which was amazing to see. This experience definitely had a positive influence on my opinion towards technology in the classroom. I learned that I should have higher expectations for young students and technology. It also gave me more confidence and willingness to use technology in my future career as a teacher.
I think the students were very enthusiastic about learning when it came to the technology we saw in the 5th grade classroom. It was really cool to get to see what we are learning about really be integrated into the classroom. I am glad that we got to see the other side of it too. We got to see the technology acting up a little bit in the classroom. It was a good thing that she had multiple methods to incorporate the technology. We really got to see the students actually want to learn. I am glad to see them do there assignments writing before they use the technology. That way they are actually getting something out of it. I can see how they could get caught up in the actual technology and not the actual work. Overall it was really cool to see what the technology could do.
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