Technology

It is really important to incorporate technology into your classroom and include it in lessons. There are many different ways that a teacher can incorporate technology into their classroom, including using computer software and interactive Smart Boards. During my instructional technology class, I was able to learn about many different technology devices that I might not have otherwise learned, and therefore used in my classroom. I can now use what I have learned in the future when I teach. I have found that when technology is used, students are more engaged in the lessons and more willing to actively participate.

Some of the things that I have learned in this class that I will definitely use in my classroom are the lesson plan templates and Microsoft Excel. Before this class I had never used Microsoft Excel before and I was amazed at everything you could do it the program. I thought that it was only used for math, however, I now know that it can be used for many more things, including graphs and charts. Not only is using technology more engaging to students, but I also think that it is more fun. I think a benefit for the teacher is that in many cases it saves a lot of time. For example, it will be a lot easier and faster to just type in the useful information into the word document lesson plan template, rather then have to type the headings in again and again. I will also hopefully have a Smart Board, or some other type of interactive white board, in my classroom. I am glad that I got to use the Smart Board in class, and create lesson plans that use the smart board, since I know feel comfortable using it. There are also so many different types of activities and lessons that teachers can incorporate using the Smart Board. Teachers can also incorporate all subject areas using the Smart Board.

Incorporating the use of Smart Boards, computers, digital media, and other technology tools is important for engaging students in the learning process. Teachers are expected to prepare students for the real world, and part of that is teaching them how to use different kinds of technology, since technology is a part of everyone's lives in one way or another. Technology benefits both the students as well as the teacher. Technology makes things much easier for teachers as they can easily do research on a topic, search the web for many lesson plans and other ideas, and use technology for keeping track of grades and long term assessments of students. One problem that teachers may have is the technology that is available to them through the school district that they work for. For example, if a school district does not have any Smart Boards, then teachers in that district can not complete any lessons using it. Teachers also may not have enough of something for the entire class to do something at once. For instance, if a classroom only has 4 computers, then only four students can be on a computer at once, unless the teacher goes to a computer lab. Teachers must be creative in this sense and work around what technology they are given.

Overall, this class has taught me a lot in regards to different types of technology, and how the different types of technology can benefit me in the classroom. Even the types of software that I already knew how to use, I was able to learn so much more about the software capabilities. I really enjoyed this class and will use a lot that I learned in this class to apply it to my teaching techniques and lessons.