Throughout this course, we were assigned several different technology assignments that we could use in the classroom. It has been exciting learning about the many technology resources that would keep my classroom engaged. This course, in the beginning, was very challenging because I am not a tech-savvy educator. The benefits I see with using an educator website would be easy access for parents to check for updates and weekly announcements right on a cellular device. If I could make a change on educational websites, it would be to have access to the websites through apps. Having an educational website would be very difficult for a child’s parent who doesn’t have the internet at home or aren’t internet savvy. But if an app was available, parents could download the app and still receive alerts on important information through the educational websites.

As educators, we have to make sure we are providing the best tips and communication between parents. Social media being a form of communication between students and teachers can be very beneficial but also perceived negatively. If I had social media for my students to communicate with me outside of the classroom, I would create a teacher Facebook or twitter page and I would also have rules and expectations for the page. This way students can contact me and they are being respectful and responsible for communication. Our text states online communication has taken the place of the traditional avenues of communication such as letters and phone calls (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019 p. 240). Word Tabernacle church is my home church. The social media team does a great job of keeping every sermon updated on the website weekly. On the website, you will weekly updates and events, sermons from previous dates, how to watch services live, and how to give an offering. My church website has down a great job of keeping the world modernize digitally.

References

Roblyer, M.D. & Hughes, J. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming learning across disciplines. 8th ed. New York, NY: Pearson.

I chose an instructional game called “Comparing Place Value” from ABCYA for a better engaging ad fun way to practice identifying greater than, less than, or equal to with two-digit numbers for my students. This technology activity is aligned with the math standard 1. 2 of the VA math state standards. This instructional game will be great practice for all students whether they are struggling or excelling with comparing number values. Students will be allowed to practice with place value once they have received direct instruction and have worked on comparing two-digit numbers. Roblyer and Hughes (2019) stated, Instruction through games could be more appealing to students by centering on their desire to compete and play (p. 180). Technology is a great resource for student learning because it gives them another exciting way of learning material. I will place my students in a center rotation due to only having five laptops. in my classroom. Students will work on this activity for 20 minutes each rotating to other center activities continuing to work on comparing two-digit numbers.

The game begins with the student selecting a game and level. This is a great game because it gives students different numbers to compare. But since we are focusing on just whole numbers, students will click the whole numbers tab. This game is very differentiate because it gives students options from easy to hard. So for my students that are still struggling, I would recommend for them to start with the easy level and for my students who are understanding the skill of comparing numbers, I would encourage them to start on a medium or hard level to challenge them a little more. Students will practice dragging the correct sign for each problem. Once students received 5 correct in a row, students can play a bonus game which will have them race a car and collect even or odd coins. This game gives students a more engaging and fun way to compare numbers other than paper and pencil. This educational game is a great artifact to monitor to see if students are understanding the skill of comparing two-digit numbers.

References

Roblyer, M.D. & Hughes, J. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming learning across disciplines. 8th ed. New York, NY: Pearson.

Link for game activity: https://www.abcya.com/games/comparing_number_values

From reading the article this week, I gained great insight on social networking. Social networking has made a huge increase in today’s society. It has made such a great chance that it will be impossible for educators to not incorporate some type of social networking into the classroom. I believe social media in the classroom would be more appropriate for higher grade levels because they would be more familiar with how social media works. As a beginning teacher, I use an application app called “Classdojo”. This app is a great way to communicate with parents daily. It allows me to give my students incentive points on positivity. I also post students’ work on this app to share with parents.

As a first-year first grade teacher, I haven’t learned about any social media sites that would benefit me and my classroom. In high school, I remember when my teacher had us blogging on twitter and responding through quick posts. Twitter would be a great tool to use for teachers teaching higher grade levels. This app would allow teachers to post important announcements & students would be able to complete blog posts and share assignments. To ensure appropriate activity with social media, teachers should make sure they inform their students about the importance of them using the site. If this isn’t informed to students and parents, it could be used negatively. In the article, Burbules states “as with other technologies, the enthusiasm of trying something “new” can interfere with thoughtful and critical reflection on when these technologies are or are not serving our educational purposes” (Burbules, 2016 p. 551). As educators when using social networking in our classroom we want to make sure we are providing the best technology for students.

Reference

Burbules, N. (2016). How we use and are used by social media in education. Educational Theory, 66(4), 551-565. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Link for Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChhoMN_xd9U

Below is a link to my PowToon Video! I created this video to introduce myself to my students and parents for open house for 2019-2020 academic school year! I hope you enjoy 🙂

https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/bZArym8jVO1/?mode=movie#/

Presentation Software: https://prezi.com/

There are many presentation tools available for access for teachers to use in their classrooms. Two presentation tools I will be discussing are Prezi and ScratchJr. Prezi is a presentation tool that uses movement, zoom, and very creative designs to help make your presentation stand out the most. It has new visualizations and opportunities for users to try at a deeper understanding. I found this tool to be very useful because it helped me create presentations from a more high-tech standpoint. It offers more features than PowerPoint and that was very useful when you needed certain features on your presentation. An assignment for my adult users would be a presentation on different topics assigned. As a first-year teacher, I have not used this tool in my classroom. I do believe this tool is more suitable for grades 5th and higher. If I taught any of these grades, students will be able to create their presentation through a more complex Prezi design. Teachers could also use Prezi to create group projects between students and students will have access to the same presentation in various locations. According to Roblyer and Hughes (2019), “students find it very motivating when they realize that their work will be available online and can be seen by others” (p.140). Students will find this tool more motivating and at ease because of the many features it offers.

https://www.scratchjr.org/

Another presentation tool that I recommend is ScratchJr. ScratchJr is a program that allows students to complete interactive games and stories. Students learn to become great problem solvers and design unique projects. Students have access to creating different characters and voice sounds and so much more. This is a great tool for k-2 grade levels because it allows students to not only interact through the computer but it teaches them skills that will prepare them for other important tasks through primary school. I haven’t used this tool in my classroom yet, but I have a friend who teaches kindergarten and she said it was a great tool for students all students but especially for students who perform below grade their level. I plan to implement this tool in my classroom hopefully starting next week or week after next.

Reference

Home. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.scratchjr.org/

Presentation Software: Online Presentation Tool: Prezi. (n.d). Retrieved from https:// prezi.com/

Roblyer, M.D. & Hughes, J. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching:            

     Transforming learning across disciplines. 8th ed. New York, NY: Pearson.

  As a first-year teacher in a regular education classroom, I am not that familiar with assistive technology. After reading our text, I learned that Assistive technology device is defined as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability” (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019). From reading our text, I have learned about many effective ways to better help the needs of students with disabilities. My coworkers and I have never worked with a student using assistive technology but my mother who is a special education teacher for 19 years has experienced assistive technology. Proloqou2Go was used to help one of her former students who couldn’t speak. This helped to promote the development of communication skills and foster language development. The student was able to tap on the icon or picture and it identified what she was pressing. The most challenging piece she had was the proper training. Teachers are now given so much to incorporate in their classroom without the proper training which is causing a lot of frustration, not only for the teacher but for the student as well. Another tool used for students was laptops, it provides students to differentiate instruction depending on their learning needs. Our text states” Mobile devices have many beneficial features for students with disabilities such as touch screens, portability, downloadable cost-effective apps, and built-in AT features” (Korner & Leske, 2012). Providing assistive technology for students in need will promote better learning growth and engagement for our students. Now that I have learned more about assistive technology, if I ever needed to use assistive technology in my classroom, I will be more aware of what to expect and how to better assist my students.

References

Korner, H., & Leske, G. (2012). Apps for communication and everyday living. Independent Living, 28(1), 21–24.

Roblyer, M. & Hughes, J. (2019). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. New York, NY:

Pearson Education.

Hello! My name is Kaitlyn Bryant-Jacobs and I am a first grade teacher in North Carolina. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.  I graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. Technology has drastically changed over the years.

In my classroom, we have access to Chromebooks and Ipads. My students are able to access different educational websites (ABCYA, EPICBOOKS, Letterland, etc.) to receive extra practice with what is being taught. It has been great seeing my students excited about going to my technology center to access these websites. They have taken pride in their progress from the beginning of the school year.

I have created a safe and flexible seating for my students while being at the technology center. This helps students feel comfortable & relaxed. In addition, students are also allowed to moved in a safe place in the classroom which best fits them. The students love this and I plan to continue having a safe space for technology for my students in the upcoming years of my teaching career.