Technology

                I believe technology is a great way to engage students in topics and activities. Varying technology tools should be integrated into the curriculum for motivation. Children love to make recordings, videos, podcasts, etc, so having technology integrated in the curriculum may motivate children to work. One example of integrating technology is having the students make a podcast that the class can view at the end of a unit (for a final project). A podcast consists of recording a script, and taking pictures. For students to view the podcast as a whole class, the classroom needs to have a computer set up to the document camera. Technology also offers teachers instructional support. Whether the teacher has a smart board in the classroom or a document camera, the teacher is able to give instruction quickly, and use their technology tools to aid their instruction.

                When I observed a laptop hooked up to the document camera in my classroom I was thrilled! I was hoping to make a podcast with my students, but my mentor teacher and I found out that we could not access the internet from the laptop. Instead, I used the document camera daily, and took advantage of the technology I did have in the classroom. This was a quick way to show the kids what we would be doing that day. Before sending my students out to complete activities, I put a copy of the record sheet on the document camera to explain what they would be doing. This helped my visual learners understand the tasks at hand.