Tech reflection

I think the greatest thing about taking a education tech course is that it actually gets you thinking about technology! Sometimes I get so caught up in just getting curriculum to my kids using the basic resources that are given to me OR just doing it the way I always have because it is what has become easy. To be honest, before I took a tech course, I did not think too much about how important it really is for students to be interacting with technology in school. I suppose if I were to be asked why, I would say that many of them use technology so much at home and it is not always easy to incorporate in the classroom. I have come to find, however, that it is important. While much of my time using technology is for fun, I also use technology for business and my own education. As technology is becoming more and more prominent in our lives, it is vital to learn how to use it in this way (business/education) at a young age. The more fluent students become in using technology and even tech etiquette, the more prepared they will be when they are immersed into the "real world." Since starting my course, I have tried to increase technology use where I can. I have been using my smart board with my students more and incorporating our class Surface and iPad more with the kids. Whenever we are able to have small groups, I try to have the iPad be one of the activities so that students can practice using it. I would like to put more apps on it for students to use, but finding time in our structured day is a challenge. I plan on stressing technology use in our take home projects we assign, such as our quarterly book reports. I would like to see my students use PowerPoint or Prezi for their presentations. It is a work in progress, but I am glad that the course has got me thinking on how I can help my kiddos be successful with technology in their future!

Digital Storytelling Logitstics

I am so excited to incorporate digital storytelling in my classroom! I've enjoyed learning how to use Prezi, how to record a story, and how to put the pictures and sound together to create a digital story. I know my students are going to love doing this project. They love writing and using technology. I think they will also love sharing their stories with their classmates and parents. The biggest question I have now is the best way to go about guiding my students through the process. According to the research I've done, the time consuming nature of digital storytelling is one of the issues that turn administrators away from allowing their teachers to use it in the classroom. In order to be able to do this project with my students, I will have to present a plan to my team of teachers and administration that will keep the process to an acceptable length of time. In order to do this, I have a few ideas in mind and I would love to have feedback from anyone out there on what they think would be the best approach! 1. My first idea is to begin this project shortly after winter break in order to give students time to put their digital stories together during their time in Media. Classes visit Media as one of their special areas once every two weeks. If we write and illustrate our stories in January, students could use time during Media over the following 8 weeks to record and complete their digital stories. While I do not care for the idea of the project being so spread out, it would maximize the time they have in their homeroom classes, which would most likely appeal to administration. 2. In order to get the digital stories done in the classroom, we would use one of the computers on wheels that our school has. This would allow for all students to have a laptop. We could put our Prezi's together during class, but I would probably ask for assistance from tutors or parents in order to help the process go quickly and smoothly. This process would probably take at least a week, which would hopefully be an acceptable amount of time. I am not sure, however, if that is a realistic estimate of time? 3. The final idea I have is to teach students how to use Prezi in the classroom and then assign them to complete their digital stories at home for a homework project. While this is certainly the option that leaves the most classroom time open, I am not crazy about the idea of my students doing this project at home. They all have different accessibility to technology at home and their parents all have different abilities when it comes to navigating the technology we will be asking them to use. Grading can also be a challenge when it comes to at home projects, as it is not clear what amount of work was actually done by the student. Those are the ideas I have so far! Please let me know your thoughts on these ideas and any further ideas you may have! Thanks!