Our students live in the generation of information and technology;
they have more access to knowledge than any prince of the medieval times. Most
jobs require the use of different software and hardware. As teachers we need to
integrate the use of software and devices within our classroom time.
We have 45 minutes of computer lab time for lessons. My 4th grade has 3 computers in the classroom for students to take AR tests of library reading books, as well as any other book from my library, or any other public library. My school has plenty of technology tools for teachers like: Discovery Education with educational videos about any subject. Foss kits with smart-board lessons and resources, My Math Mcgraw-hill with lessons that include videos, songs, and interactive games for math. Additionally, we have Dreambox for learning math facts, Reflex math for homework, Duolingo for learning their second language Spanish. As a teacher, I get reports from all these programs that tell me my students progress. I can find out about their reading level, and comprehension levels from STAR reading. As a new teacher, it took me a sometime to figure out all these programs, how to send assignments with them, how to print reports. I am very happy to use technology during my lessons, my students love all the interactive activities on the smart-board. For assessment we have School City, we can create our computer tests, and already link them to the standards. It is the same program we use for benchmarks and district evaluations.
My strength is that I am incorporating everything I have access to, my weakness will be keeping up with all the reporting, and I feel I could create more smart board presentations but I have to schedule an appointment with my technology coach from the district to be able to do that. I need more than 45 minutes at the computer lab to teach students how to use Microsoft Office. My assessments could be 100 % online, but I still have them on paper. I guess that is what I am used to, and I don't have a lot of time to switch all of my subjects to the system. There are so many things I could incorporate if I just had the time to do it.
We have 45 minutes of computer lab time for lessons. My 4th grade has 3 computers in the classroom for students to take AR tests of library reading books, as well as any other book from my library, or any other public library. My school has plenty of technology tools for teachers like: Discovery Education with educational videos about any subject. Foss kits with smart-board lessons and resources, My Math Mcgraw-hill with lessons that include videos, songs, and interactive games for math. Additionally, we have Dreambox for learning math facts, Reflex math for homework, Duolingo for learning their second language Spanish. As a teacher, I get reports from all these programs that tell me my students progress. I can find out about their reading level, and comprehension levels from STAR reading. As a new teacher, it took me a sometime to figure out all these programs, how to send assignments with them, how to print reports. I am very happy to use technology during my lessons, my students love all the interactive activities on the smart-board. For assessment we have School City, we can create our computer tests, and already link them to the standards. It is the same program we use for benchmarks and district evaluations.
My strength is that I am incorporating everything I have access to, my weakness will be keeping up with all the reporting, and I feel I could create more smart board presentations but I have to schedule an appointment with my technology coach from the district to be able to do that. I need more than 45 minutes at the computer lab to teach students how to use Microsoft Office. My assessments could be 100 % online, but I still have them on paper. I guess that is what I am used to, and I don't have a lot of time to switch all of my subjects to the system. There are so many things I could incorporate if I just had the time to do it.
You and your students are fortunate to have access to so many tool and programs. I am curious if your students are able to access DreamBox from home and, if so, whether they take advantage of it.
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