My thoughts on IT....yup, it's a good thing

We hear debates all the time; what is information technology and what do we allow and embrace in the classroom and what do we ban? As a grade 8 teacher, and for me in particular, that means teaching the curriculum, and then more. I want to make it possible for my students to have a learning process that is effective, positive and one that is moving forward.  So, I am grateful that I work in a school that embraces and encourages technology. 

We can deny all the advantages that technology gives us, but that attitude is not going to make it go away. There was a time when children were well prepared if they had a slate board and a slate pencil for school. Really? Does anyone miss the old days of a teacher telling and the students doing. Do we really want to cling old notions of how teachers should teach? I don’t. I repeat,  I am grateful that I work in a school that embraces and encourages technology.

Here is how technology can help.

Now, learning is very different and the access to technology in the classroom offers more advantages to students. Learning is a process that can benefit from teaching aids and support for the lessons. Technology in the classroom has provided many new tools to assist the teachers. The equipment that can be used in a classroom can bring far more information and understanding to any topic. Visual aids and anything that can help clarify the point will make teaching the lesson more accessible to all students.





Yes, I am on twitter, and have been since 2008....it's a great way to let students know what is due..lol, and overdue.

QUESTION

Would you have kept reading if there was only text? If the answer is no.....then i made my point.

And now for something completely different...

Flash Mob, University of Waterloo, Born This Way (Lady Gaga)

Learning is a collaborative effort; a give and take if you will, an interaction. Teachers are not omniscient, and students, first and foremost, need to know that teachers care: first about academics and in my humble opinion, about them. Our students matter and they must sense that. 

People all learn in different ways and technology has brought more options forward to help students. Technology in the classroom promotes an increase in writing skills; better understanding of math; the ability to teach others; and greater problem solving and critical thinking skills. The details they are learning may be the same but the ways they are receiving it can now vary to meet more learning needs. Speeding the learning process is never a bad thing to strive for.


We need to be open to the skills that our students offer..e.g., i had a gifted artist in grade 8 , he did a great print, that i love, and to this day hangs in my living room.  Thank you Geordie.

Integrating technology into the classroom is essential in fostering a 21st century learning classroom. As  a teacher today I feel I face a formidable challenge to address an increasing range of student needs. Perhaps now more than ever there exists a need for educators to productively incorporate technology as an alternative method to enhance instruction.

WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD.......and we are. Woo hoo!





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