Technology Self-Assessment Assignment

 

 

 

 

The Basics to Technology Integration

Elizabeth Rader

EDUC 630 – B02

Dr. Amanda Roberts



Classroom Management

Classroom management has been a strength of mine since I began teaching.  As technology increases, it is frightening to hear what some students are capable of.  With this in mind, I am trying to be proactive in dealing with technology in the hands of students.  It seems to be that small adjustments to the classroom add up to make a big difference.

The more technology in the hands of students, the more proximity is important.  Teachers should not spend all of their time in one place in the classroom.  To keep students engaged in the lesson and on task, it is important to be moving around and checking on the students’ progress.  When lecturing, most teachers tend to be towards the front of the class.  However, when a student has a Chromebook at their desk, this does not allow the teacher access to the students’ screens.  Being more mobile around the room is vital in order to discourage off-task behavior. 

In setting up the layout of my classroom, I would put the teacher’s desk to the side of the room.  Although I am constantly moving around the room, there are times that I need a place to work with students.  By placing myself at their side, I would be able to see the students’ facial expressions as well as see some of their Chromebook screens.  This would hopefully discourage inappropriate behaviors. 

Screencasting

The term screencasting is one that I have heard several times in the past few months with remote learning, but I haven’t fully understood what it encompasses and how to effectively utilize it in the classroom.  I wanted to see how it was different from presenting a PowerPoint or Slides presentation.

Technology should not be the target of learning.  Instead, for technology to be effectively utilized in the classroom, it should be a means by which to achieve the learning target.  The goal should not be to use the latest technology, but instead “the learning target should be to make thinking visual” (Holland, 2013, para. 6).  Screencasting is not only for the teacher to create and present to the class, but it can also be used for the students to reply to a question.  It allows students to explain their reasoning and further their learning.

I could see this being effective in RtI for selected students or for students on remote learning.  Since it involves recording a student’s voice, it is important to have a quiet environment where only one student is recording at a time.  This could also be useful for when a substitute it needed.  Although there are many talented substitutes in our district, it isn’t fair to put all the pressure on them to know what to teach the kids and how that particular class learns best.

Formative Assessment Tools

Formative assessment is an important part of education.  With remote learning, it makes it more challenging to assess what the students know.  Kahoot! is currently being used in my classroom and the students love it.  It was listed in the introduction and I wanted to see what other resources were available and what each resource had to offer in order to benefit student learning.

Nearpod is a resource that I would like to explore more.  With this program, the article says that I am able to create a PowerPoint like presentations that could include quizzes, assessments, and more.  Using this resource, a teacher could present information and formally assess with the same program.  This would keep transition time at a minimum and allow more time to be spent on learning.

This is a resource that could be useful in Social Studies and Science.  It would allow for most the material in each chapter or unit to be stored in one location.  I would not have to go between multiple tabs on the computer throughout a lesson.  I could also include formative assessments to help guide the instruction and virtual field trips to assist the students visualize their learning.

 

References:

Davis, J. (2015, February 19). Classroom management tips for the technology rich classroom. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/classroom-management-tips-technology-rich-classroom

Davis, V. (2017, May 8). Fantastic, fast formative assessment tools. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-fast-formative-assessment-tools-vicki-davis

Holland, B. (2013, September 5). Redefining learning through screencasting. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/redefining-learning-through-screencasting-beth-holland

 

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