During my opening meeting for the school year, my
principal was discussing our new school wide behavior tool, Dojo, where
students will be awarded points for positive behavior, which then will be used
for incentives. Dojo is an online program where parents will be notified of
their child’s points via email and/or text. My principal stated, “All families
have access to technology. Even the lowest economic status families will have
at least one cell phone before they have food on their table.” I did not find this
statement surprising at all. As technology infiltrates our lives and becomes
even more important than food in some cases, there is no doubt that we must
integrate it into the classroom. However, we do have tools that allow us to
integrate technology in the best possible manners. These tools include the
Personal Learning Networks, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, and
the technology available in our classrooms.
To begin with, all teachers should have and
maintain a Personal Learning Network (PLN). By maintaining a PLN, teachers will
network with a variety of people and sources in personal and online. This
network will allow the teacher to stay informed of education and technology
trends, which will lead to a higher level of instruction. The first step of
building a PLN is networking with other professionals. An individual can
accomplish this in person, social networking sites, blogs, and video
conferencing. I find the most important aspect of a PLN is the dialogue between
two or more individuals. I cannot count how many times my PLN has lead me to
new ideas that have made me a better teacher. I am now looking forward to
expanding my PLN into the realm of internet news. For class, we must use a
program called Feedly, which compiles news headings from infinite sources that
I select. I have never hesitated to ask questions of my colleagues, however I
am not the type to go out in search of new articles or information. Feedly will
compile new information for me in one easy place for me to browse and research.
Secondly, when using technology in the classroom,
we must look at Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK).
According to William Bauer in Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for
Creating, Performing, and Responding to Music. TPACK is “the effective
integration of technology…[in which] teachers…thoughtfully consider how
content, pedagogy, and technology work together in a specific teaching and
learning context” (28). Before a teacher can look at TPACK, they must be firm
in their Pedagogical and Content Knowledge areas. Once these are established,
teachers can improve their TPACK by integrating technology into the classroom.
I believe this begins with being open to using technology, such as computers
and tablets, in the classroom. Then, it becomes a matter of what should we
teach with technology and how should we teach it.
That statement leads into my third and final point
on technology in the classroom for this week. What should we teach with
technology and how should we teach it? Personally, I believe the possibilities
are endless for any learning level. For example, I teach Music PreK-2, thus my
learners are much smaller and younger than high school students. However, I
still have a place for technology in my classroom. For example, last year, my
students and I studied birds from the Eastern Shore. Next, we listened to each birdcall
on YouTube, and then we recorded ourselves making birdcalls as a group. My
students loved creating the calls with their voices and listening to the recordings.
This was a simple, yet effective and fun use of technology. This year, I am
looking forward to integrating my SmartBoard, as I have just moved from
teaching on the stage to teaching in a real classroom. I believe the SmartBoard
will be a great motivator for student interaction, such as moving things around
the board, highlighting text, and watching videos. I am also looking forward to
creating more partner and small group activities within my classroom. I firmly
believe second graders are much more capable than we give them credit for,
especially when they are give a set of specific instructions and guidelines. I
would like to use technology to allow them to compose and work together on
small projects. I may accomplish this goal through the use of Incredibox, where
they can compose without the barriers of reading music. I want to use
technology for these projects that can then be shared with or performed for the
class.
Overall, the possibilities of using technology in
the classroom are endless. However, I believe there will always be a need for non-technology
teaching, such as using paper, pencil, and manipulatives. It is truly about the
balance and what works the most effectively for your students. What will you
teach and how will you teach it with technology?
Resources
Bauer, William I. Music
Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing, and Responding to
Music. New York: Oxford UP,
2014. Google Play. Web. 30 Aug. 2015.
