I use my i-pad and Chromebook with students almost every time we meet. Most times we use different internet sites, though sometimes students are working on something in GoogleDocs. I have one student who is very interested in computer programming. We have gone to codecademy.com and code.org for him to learn different coding languages. One of the best things about technology is the information at your fingertips. If students have their own device, and we’re in the middle of a project, they don’t have to ask me for an answer, they just search on their own. Many are resourceful about how they use technology – it’s available for learning (not just games and entertainment)!
I think that is part of the problem, students mainly access technology for entertainment, they do not realize the learning aspect of it outside of the classroom.
You mean their is more to technology then games??? No matter how hard I try keeping up with the latest way to access the games and movies feels like a second job. I have actually taken internet away from students who abuse it while at school.
I love this factor too!! Sometimes something will come in class like an animal or a place that they have never heard of. I'll google it really quick and project it so quickly!! Having the image to show the students to visualize what were talking about is a powerful tool in their learning!
I love information at our fingertips however I also think it is a bad thing... Kids have all of this information right at their fingertips and they sometimes use it for the wrong purpose. I also agree that they use it for fun and not so much for learning.
As an itinerant teacher sometimes using technology is difficult. Different schools have various ways to log on to their internet, some make it very difficult and it is slow and may throw you off at some point. I do use my Ipad and in some schools the high school students have chrome books. If so we do use them for research and test purposes. They can also type and email me what they do. Use various websites, ACT.org, Shmoop, sparknotes and various apps. In the spring, some schools are testing and you are to stay off the internet certain days and times, making technology very difficult. Students do love their phones and all the new social media they have!!
I can see how the use of technology would be difficult in your situtation. I do not have a class set of chromebooks/laptops and our school does not have a 1 to 1 tech initiative so I mainly use my I Pad also.
I think cell phone usage can be a touch subject. I don't honestly know the cell phone policy in all of my districts. I've let students use their phones when we're together, but on a limited basis, and for specific purposes.
I know students' relationship with technology isn't always the greatest thing, but I sure am glad they're so adept at using it! They're a WEALTH of information and save me a lot of time and hassle if something I have isn't working or if I don't understand something, haha! :-)
My school does not have a 1 to 1 laptop/chromebook initiative. There are some teachers with class sets of computers and the library has a computer cart plus 10 I Pads. I have checked out 6 that pretty much stay in my room unless someone else needs them. Some of the ideas in the book are really great but without a 1 to 1 computer initiative they are not really fesibile. I use my I Pad alot with my classroom. I use apps like Haiku Deck, SeeSaw, Class Dojo, Simple Minds, Socrative teacher/student, and audio books. Of course on my student I Pad there are more educational games and other fun apps. I try to use technology as much as possible. However, teachers still need to be able to teach without it because technology does not always work!!! Some of the "old-fashioned" methods just can not be replaced by technology!
Sometime it is good to not be so wrapped up in technology that the world will end if the internet is down. I know I have plenty of paper copies of things for my students and some of their parents have said they still prefer that especially when it comes to study guides for tests.
I agree! And, not every one has access to the technology. But, giving them the skills to access it and use it is important for our world is run by technology. I have some students that have a difficult time even navigating Word programs and conducting research on google. I wish our computer classes would focus more on this, but they often spend time playing games. :(
Your comment about not everyone having technology reminded me of a staffing I was at. During the meeting, the parent asked for some things they could be doing at home for their kiddo. Everyone started sharing websites, apps, online programs, etc. that we thought would be beneficial and also fun for the student to work on, and the mom goes, "We don't have a computer or internet." Well, that really narrowed down our suggestions!!! I don't think I fully realized just how dependent we all were on technology until that meeting.
When Holcomb initially started their one to one laptop initiative years ago, one consideration was that some kids did not have technology at home. They had a plan for how kids could access internet after hours if their parents did not have internet access at home. Over time, it became extremely rare that kids did not have internet or computer access at home, even without the school provided laptop--everybody had one at home. However, I think times have once again changed and many kids do not have computer access at home because parents primary piece of technology is their cell phone and they access the internet through their phone. It is not realistic for a child to do school related projects, such as word processing, math text book access, etc through a cell phone. I think we are moving back to students needing school provided technology as a primary resource in the home.
Bhoryna, have you seen some of the recent educational articles about students (especially elementary ) needing time to play and less technology and focus on academics (again in the lower elementary)
I can relate, that in the last few years, we always preface out parent recommendations with "Do you have access to the internet at home?" We have to work harder to come up with ideas when the answer is no. I think we've gotten rusty.
I am fortunate to work in a school with a 1 to 1 chrome book initiative, so my students have access to technology every day. I myself have 2 IPAD's (one is mine for paperwork and other is used for student help) a laptop, and new this year I have received a chromebook from the district. I use technology mainly is study skills class for extra practice with my students on a lesson or to assist them in discovering that there is more tot the internet then their gaming sites. Recently though I started using it for my pull out class in math. At the end of the unit there is a "branch" lesson that requires my student to research and apply the math concepts to daily life situations. Sometimes if my student is really interested I will Skype of facetime someone I know in that area so they can talk with them. I don't really have any programs that I use in class. But I use different apps on the IPAD and my new favorite way to review with my students for testing is KAHOOT! (free website to create your own review games).
I was uncertain when we started Chromebooks at the middle school, but I have to say it has been a HUGE time saver. When we used the computer lab, laptops, or the computers I had in my room we were always searching for documents my kids had started but not finished. Inevitably, they could not remember which device they were on when they started, did they save it to the desktop or the server, did someone else delete it later in the day, what name did they save it, did they forget to save it and lose everything? Kids were starting over repeatedly and we were wasting so much time--which in the majority of cases I was certain was intentional. The Chromebooks eliminate all that mess. It automatically saves their work, it is always saved in their drive, I can use the search feature quickly and easily to locate a document even if they forgot what they named it. Even if they do not have internet at home, if they open their document before they leave school they can access it at home, they just have to remember to NOT close the document. If they keep it open, when they return to school, it will upload as soon as they connect to the wifi. I have had kids at home struggling with an assignment. They email me and share the document. I then can go in and make comments on the side so they can continue to complete their work. I like the Chromebook so much more than laptops.
How do you use technology in the classroom? I use technology daily in my classroom. I like to get out my ipad and let kids use it for many different tasks. Even for just a quick lesson on note taking and using it in the classroom. I project News 2 You on my projector and we use the lessons and do them together and have lots of fun and learning opportunities with that.
What are some different types you use? (including programs or websites). I really like using technology in my classroom. I use many different forms of technology. My kids work on the computer at times, use the ipad, we do cooperative things with the teacher tv/projector. Some of my favorite programs are Sum Dog, KAHOOT, Book Share, Cool math games, News2You.
One of my favorite things to do is brain pop for either an introductory or review time. I put it on the projector, we watch a short video and then as a class we take the quiz. The kids get so into this and everyone participates. There are also activities after each lesson that we do as a class; I like this a lot because the whole class is involved, it is fun and interactive, and the kids always end up learning something beyond their level, for most of the activities and vocabulary are a little advanced. I also use reading eggs, math seeds, IXL math- these apps help when I have multiple kids/groups in the room- one or two students can be working independently on reading/math interventions while I'm doing direct instruction with another group. I have learned some new technology this year in one of my Masters classes, reading this book, and also with a guy who comes here and shows us some. There is a lot more I would like to integrate and use, I definitely need to familiarize myself with them more and practice!! I'm not too tech savvy.
I think if is important to use all of the programs you listed as kids all kids seem to like being on a computer. We as teachers sometimes don't realize all students don't have this technology at home.
I use my iPads (I have 2 from HP, I own one and my para owns one) and I have three computers and a laptop in my room. The computers don't work great but we like to use them for Reflex, Lexia, iStation, Mathseeds, Reading Eggs, SumDog (the kid 's favorite), moby max, etc. I sent a list home of passwords for each student to use as well. I have kids that go to the library just to play on sumdog!! We use it mostly as an extra activity or a filler if we have a few extra minutes.
I use technology in the classroom to add to student learning. I use: Reading Eggs, IXL Math, Cool Math. One of my students and I followed the Iditarod race on the desktop computer. I also use some simple interactive apps (that respond to touch) as well as stories on the Ipad for my significant student.
Our junior high math teacher uses SumDog with her students. Last year the kids could do it for extra credit, but this year she includes it as part of the lesson once or twice a week.
Our school has a 1:1 Chromebook iniative for students which is both a blessing and a curse. Positives are sharing assignments and documents on google docs. Our math books are online and accessed via the chromebooks as our much of the English lessons. Negatives are the students use the chromebooks for entertainment the majority of the time...even in class when they are in the middle of a lesson, they can be found playing a game, on YouTube or e-mailing, messaging someone. They are a huge distraction for many students on my roster.
Since I don’t interact with students in the same way as a teacher does, really the only type of technology I use with kiddos is my iPad (Or iPhone, but I guess essentially they’re the same thing). I let students use them as a break from assessment, or as something fun they can earn free time on if they’re not too excited about working for me, haha!
We use various types of technology in our district. In the grade school we have desktop computers in the labs for students to do dreambox and Lexia on. Each teacher also has an iPad to use in the classroom some use them to use as a reward and others put them in their desk and don’t touch them. At the middle and high school level we have 1 to 1 ipads and all textbooks and assignments are done through this in order to go paperless. I honestly have mixed emotions about the iPads being the way students access their textbooks and turn in assignments and such. To me it is just one more thing for some of our students to have to remember and be responsible for when they can’t even get to school on time or with all their things they need. I also think that some of our teachers aren’t teaching like they use to with examples and step by step instructions in the area of math. Kids have also forgotten how to write and use proper grammar. I guess I am just enough old school that technology has its time and place but we have allowed it to run our world and when it fails people don’t know how to problem solve without it!
I've uploaded most of my assessments, at least the ones that I can without copyright infringement, onto the iPad, so students use it for the stimulus materials as I record and score on another or my laptop. I've used Google drive to share assessments that teams score together, such as the AEPS, so we can all work at the same time - if we're somewhere with internet. I've switched my teacher questionnaires to Google forms, so I can see several teachers responses side by side to look for patterns and copy and paste longer responses directly into reports. I set notifications so I can see as soon as they have time to get to it, and ask questions right away if I have any. I project the standards when we are writing or discussing goals. I've also created my own compu-score for some rating scales I use to speed my scoring time and generate graphs of the results to share at staffings. We use the iPads for recording observation data in classrooms, and of course for signatures. For one student, we used an app with videos of social scenarios for practice. We are fortunate to have a one to one Chromebook initiative 7-12 in one of my districts, students complete most assignments on these, with applications that make it much easier to adapt for students that need spell check, read alouds, dictation (Read&Write for Google Chrome) or magnification. Kids can study using Quizlet or Kahoot without a lot of time taken in creating the study materials.
I use my i-pad and Chromebook with students almost every time we meet. Most times we use different internet sites, though sometimes students are working on something in GoogleDocs.
ReplyDeleteI have one student who is very interested in computer programming. We have gone to codecademy.com and code.org for him to learn different coding languages.
One of the best things about technology is the information at your fingertips. If students have their own device, and we’re in the middle of a project, they don’t have to ask me for an answer, they just search on their own. Many are resourceful about how they use technology – it’s available for learning (not just games and entertainment)!
I think that is part of the problem, students mainly access technology for entertainment, they do not realize the learning aspect of it outside of the classroom.
DeleteYou mean their is more to technology then games??? No matter how hard I try keeping up with the latest way to access the games and movies feels like a second job. I have actually taken internet away from students who abuse it while at school.
DeleteI love this factor too!! Sometimes something will come in class like an animal or a place that they have never heard of. I'll google it really quick and project it so quickly!! Having the image to show the students to visualize what were talking about is a powerful tool in their learning!
DeleteI love information at our fingertips however I also think it is a bad thing... Kids have all of this information right at their fingertips and they sometimes use it for the wrong purpose. I also agree that they use it for fun and not so much for learning.
DeleteAs an itinerant teacher sometimes using technology is difficult. Different schools have various ways to log on to their internet, some make it very difficult and it is slow and may throw you off at some point. I do use my Ipad and in some schools the high school students have chrome books. If so we do use them for research and test purposes. They can also type and email me what they do. Use various websites, ACT.org, Shmoop, sparknotes and various apps. In the spring, some schools are testing and you are to stay off the internet certain days and times, making technology very difficult. Students do love their phones and all the new social media they have!!
ReplyDeleteI can see how the use of technology would be difficult in your situtation. I do not have a class set of chromebooks/laptops and our school does not have a 1 to 1 tech initiative so I mainly use my I Pad also.
DeleteI think cell phone usage can be a touch subject. I don't honestly know the cell phone policy in all of my districts. I've let students use their phones when we're together, but on a limited basis, and for specific purposes.
DeleteI know students' relationship with technology isn't always the greatest thing, but I sure am glad they're so adept at using it! They're a WEALTH of information and save me a lot of time and hassle if something I have isn't working or if I don't understand something, haha! :-)
DeleteMy school does not have a 1 to 1 laptop/chromebook initiative. There are some teachers with class sets of computers and the library has a computer cart plus 10 I Pads. I have checked out 6 that pretty much stay in my room unless someone else needs them. Some of the ideas in the book are really great but without a 1 to 1 computer initiative they are not really fesibile. I use my I Pad alot with my classroom. I use apps like Haiku Deck, SeeSaw, Class Dojo, Simple Minds, Socrative teacher/student, and audio books. Of course on my student I Pad there are more educational games and other fun apps. I try to use technology as much as possible. However, teachers still need to be able to teach without it because technology does not always work!!! Some of the "old-fashioned" methods just can not be replaced by technology!
ReplyDeleteSometime it is good to not be so wrapped up in technology that the world will end if the internet is down. I know I have plenty of paper copies of things for my students and some of their parents have said they still prefer that especially when it comes to study guides for tests.
DeleteI agree! And, not every one has access to the technology. But, giving them the skills to access it and use it is important for our world is run by technology. I have some students that have a difficult time even navigating Word programs and conducting research on google. I wish our computer classes would focus more on this, but they often spend time playing games. :(
DeleteAnnieB-
DeleteYour comment about not everyone having technology reminded me of a staffing I was at. During the meeting, the parent asked for some things they could be doing at home for their kiddo. Everyone started sharing websites, apps, online programs, etc. that we thought would be beneficial and also fun for the student to work on, and the mom goes, "We don't have a computer or internet." Well, that really narrowed down our suggestions!!! I don't think I fully realized just how dependent we all were on technology until that meeting.
When Holcomb initially started their one to one laptop initiative years ago, one consideration was that some kids did not have technology at home. They had a plan for how kids could access internet after hours if their parents did not have internet access at home. Over time, it became extremely rare that kids did not have internet or computer access at home, even without the school provided laptop--everybody had one at home. However, I think times have once again changed and many kids do not have computer access at home because parents primary piece of technology is their cell phone and they access the internet through their phone. It is not realistic for a child to do school related projects, such as word processing, math text book access, etc through a cell phone. I think we are moving back to students needing school provided technology as a primary resource in the home.
DeleteBhoryna, have you seen some of the recent educational articles about students (especially elementary ) needing time to play and less technology and focus on academics (again in the lower elementary)
DeleteI can relate, that in the last few years, we always preface out parent recommendations with "Do you have access to the internet at home?" We have to work harder to come up with ideas when the answer is no. I think we've gotten rusty.
DeleteI am fortunate to work in a school with a 1 to 1 chrome book initiative, so my students have access to technology every day. I myself have 2 IPAD's (one is mine for paperwork and other is used for student help) a laptop, and new this year I have received a chromebook from the district. I use technology mainly is study skills class for extra practice with my students on a lesson or to assist them in discovering that there is more tot the internet then their gaming sites. Recently though I started using it for my pull out class in math. At the end of the unit there is a "branch" lesson that requires my student to research and apply the math concepts to daily life situations. Sometimes if my student is really interested I will Skype of facetime someone I know in that area so they can talk with them. I don't really have any programs that I use in class. But I use different apps on the IPAD and my new favorite way to review with my students for testing is KAHOOT! (free website to create your own review games).
ReplyDeleteLUCKY!!! But I'm not sure I'd know how to use a chrome book... Or that my kids would!
DeleteI was uncertain when we started Chromebooks at the middle school, but I have to say it has been a HUGE time saver. When we used the computer lab, laptops, or the computers I had in my room we were always searching for documents my kids had started but not finished. Inevitably, they could not remember which device they were on when they started, did they save it to the desktop or the server, did someone else delete it later in the day, what name did they save it, did they forget to save it and lose everything? Kids were starting over repeatedly and we were wasting so much time--which in the majority of cases I was certain was intentional. The Chromebooks eliminate all that mess. It automatically saves their work, it is always saved in their drive, I can use the search feature quickly and easily to locate a document even if they forgot what they named it. Even if they do not have internet at home, if they open their document before they leave school they can access it at home, they just have to remember to NOT close the document. If they keep it open, when they return to school, it will upload as soon as they connect to the wifi. I have had kids at home struggling with an assignment. They email me and share the document. I then can go in and make comments on the side so they can continue to complete their work. I like the Chromebook so much more than laptops.
DeleteI think Google Drive is a life saver. I love that I can pull up a doc on any device and share it with students in 10 seconds.
DeleteKAHOOT sounds interesting...thanks for sharing
DeleteI've really found Google Drive beneficial as well. It makes emailing attachments seem archaic, when that was just what we did a year ago.
DeleteHow do you use technology in the classroom?
ReplyDeleteI use technology daily in my classroom. I like to get out my ipad and let kids use it for many different tasks. Even for just a quick lesson on note taking and using it in the classroom. I project News 2 You on my projector and we use the lessons and do them together and have lots of fun and learning opportunities with that.
What are some different types you use? (including programs or websites).
I really like using technology in my classroom. I use many different forms of technology. My kids work on the computer at times, use the ipad, we do cooperative things with the teacher tv/projector. Some of my favorite programs are Sum Dog, KAHOOT, Book Share, Cool math games, News2You.
One of my favorite things to do is brain pop for either an introductory or review time. I put it on the projector, we watch a short video and then as a class we take the quiz. The kids get so into this and everyone participates. There are also activities after each lesson that we do as a class; I like this a lot because the whole class is involved, it is fun and interactive, and the kids always end up learning something beyond their level, for most of the activities and vocabulary are a little advanced.
ReplyDeleteI also use reading eggs, math seeds, IXL math- these apps help when I have multiple kids/groups in the room- one or two students can be working independently on reading/math interventions while I'm doing direct instruction with another group.
I have learned some new technology this year in one of my Masters classes, reading this book, and also with a guy who comes here and shows us some. There is a lot more I would like to integrate and use, I definitely need to familiarize myself with them more and practice!! I'm not too tech savvy.
I think if is important to use all of the programs you listed as kids all kids seem to like being on a computer. We as teachers sometimes don't realize all students don't have this technology at home.
DeleteI use my iPads (I have 2 from HP, I own one and my para owns one) and I have three computers and a laptop in my room. The computers don't work great but we like to use them for Reflex, Lexia, iStation, Mathseeds, Reading Eggs, SumDog (the kid 's favorite), moby max, etc. I sent a list home of passwords for each student to use as well. I have kids that go to the library just to play on sumdog!! We use it mostly as an extra activity or a filler if we have a few extra minutes.
ReplyDeleteDoes SumDog practice all types of facts-- +, -, X, and divide or is it primarily an addition game?
DeleteI use technology in the classroom to add to student learning. I use: Reading Eggs, IXL Math, Cool Math. One of my students and I followed the Iditarod race on the desktop computer. I also use some simple interactive apps (that respond to touch) as well as stories on the Ipad for my significant student.
ReplyDeleteOur junior high math teacher uses SumDog with her students. Last year the kids could do it for extra credit, but this year she includes it as part of the lesson once or twice a week.
Our school has a 1:1 Chromebook iniative for students which is both a blessing and a curse. Positives are sharing assignments and documents on google docs. Our math books are online and accessed via the chromebooks as our much of the English lessons. Negatives are the students use the chromebooks for entertainment the majority of the time...even in class when they are in the middle of a lesson, they can be found playing a game, on YouTube or e-mailing, messaging someone. They are a huge distraction for many students on my roster.
Since I don’t interact with students in the same way as a teacher does, really the only type of technology I use with kiddos is my iPad (Or iPhone, but I guess essentially they’re the same thing). I let students use them as a break from assessment, or as something fun they can earn free time on if they’re not too excited about working for me, haha!
ReplyDeleteWe use various types of technology in our district. In the grade school we have desktop computers in the labs for students to do dreambox and Lexia on. Each teacher also has an iPad to use in the classroom some use them to use as a reward and others put them in their desk and don’t touch them. At the middle and high school level we have 1 to 1 ipads and all textbooks and assignments are done through this in order to go paperless. I honestly have mixed emotions about the iPads being the way students access their textbooks and turn in assignments and such. To me it is just one more thing for some of our students to have to remember and be responsible for when they can’t even get to school on time or with all their things they need. I also think that some of our teachers aren’t teaching like they use to with examples and step by step instructions in the area of math. Kids have also forgotten how to write and use proper grammar. I guess I am just enough old school that technology has its time and place but we have allowed it to run our world and when it fails people don’t know how to problem solve without it!
ReplyDeleteI've uploaded most of my assessments, at least the ones that I can without copyright infringement, onto the iPad, so students use it for the stimulus materials as I record and score on another or my laptop. I've used Google drive to share assessments that teams score together, such as the AEPS, so we can all work at the same time - if we're somewhere with internet. I've switched my teacher questionnaires to Google forms, so I can see several teachers responses side by side to look for patterns and copy and paste longer responses directly into reports. I set notifications so I can see as soon as they have time to get to it, and ask questions right away if I have any. I project the standards when we are writing or discussing goals. I've also created my own compu-score for some rating scales I use to speed my scoring time and generate graphs of the results to share at staffings. We use the iPads for recording observation data in classrooms, and of course for signatures. For one student, we used an app with videos of social scenarios for practice. We are fortunate to have a one to one Chromebook initiative 7-12 in one of my districts, students complete most assignments on these, with applications that make it much easier to adapt for students that need spell check, read alouds, dictation (Read&Write for Google Chrome) or magnification. Kids can study using Quizlet or Kahoot without a lot of time taken in creating the study materials.
ReplyDelete