I have been very fortunate throughout my education to have technology be extremely accessible to me at school. In elementary school there was a computer lab filled with enough computers for each child in the class, also in my teachers' own classrooms there were always two to three computers that could be used during free time. There were also computer labs accessible to students in both middle school and high school. Unfortunately what computers we did have in the schools were not in the best condition and were extremely slow. In my previous education I never experienced a teacher who integrated technology into their curriculum. It is unfortunate because integrating technology in lesson plans could have been very beneficial to me and my peers.
When I have my own classroom I hope incorporate technology in my lesson plans! I hope to teach 1st grade and think that a Smartboard is something that would be helpful to this particular grade level. I have seen a Smartboard used in a 1st grade classroom before and it was extremely effective. There are so many wonderful things that you can do with a Smartboard! It gives another way for the students to get involved with the lesson, causing the lesson to be interactive. It can also help the class stay interested in the lesson plan by the use of graphics, videos, and pictures. The kids can also volunteer during lesson plans to demonstrate something to the class using the Smartboard. The kids would learn more effectively with this type of technology and probably enjoy the lesson plans more too!
The most challenging part of trying to use technology in the classroom is having the funds and support to be able to afford this technology. There are always cuts being made in the schools and if a school is really struggling with funding they will not be able to afford technology that is expensive. Also I think it would be challenging for myself to have the time to learn all of the programs and software that go along with new technology. In order to integrate technology into lesson plans the teacher would have to master the programs and how to use the software. Even though there are some challenges that go with integrating technology in the classroom I think that it is so beneficial to the students and that it is worth it!
Print Page in IE
Heather - You bring up a good point that many others overlooked...the problem of outdated, inadequate hardware (and software). Unfortunately, people often think schools can "do fine" with old machines. Anyone who's ever tried to do anything remotely taxing on an old machine knows how trying this can be...now image 25 seven-year-olds working with outdated computers! Schools deserve the same state-of-the-art technology that industry receives, but how do we fund it? We'll attempt to answer that question later in the term.
ReplyDelete