Technolgy Master's

This master’s program has taught me about many different forms of technology tools. I have been told that next year I will be receiving an Elmo document camera. With a document camera I can share images with my entire class without having to use a scanner. I feel this would benefit my students by giving them another alternate way of presenting lessons.

After every technology master's class through Lesley I go back to my classroom with a new idea of how to integrate technology into my lessons. Hopefully by doing so I am able to reach out to all the different learning styles in my classroom and help be more of an effective teacher than before.

Technology a Must!

I feel in this day and age technology should be mandated. We have digitally come so far and students need to be in the up rise of technology to keep up with society and be involved in the workforce.
A student may not produce their best work but will excel to higher levels when learning takes place while being integrated with technology. Technological education should be mandated. Most principals and school districts use technology to run their schools. It is the way of life.
From discussions with students in our class I am amazed at how many teachers are not provided the training or the technology they need to help be more successful in teaching technology in their classrooms. I feel that my students are lucky that we are so blessed with all the technology accessible to them at our school.

Technology In The Classroom

Teaching with technology involves students in concrete experiences that can facilitate in the ability for them to not only learn the “basics”, but to go well beyond that. My classroom is set up to find ways to reach out to all learners and allow them to discover their own strengths. My goal is to help students discover and develop their talents to become self-motivated and competent life-long learners. The learning environment that my students will be involved in will not be “traditional”, due to the set-up of the classroom. I will present lessons in a wide variety of ways incorporating technology. I believe that a student learns best not by being talked at, but by actually experiencing life. This is why my curriculum will consist of hands-on experiences with manipulatives, games, and being completely engaged in the learning process. This year promises to be extremely educational and exciting. This will in turn empower them to explore new areas and take risks that they otherwise wouldn’t.

Why we need responders...

Previous District wide grant efforts have provided limited quantities of Renaissance Responder sets to school sites resulting in partial implementation throughout the district and therefore creating a widespread need. At this time of state and federal financial crisis, Desert Sands Unified School District is unable to provide funding for this technology tool despite the teacher and student demand for its use. Currently the district has provided one set to Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary through previous grant funds. As described in the project overview, these responders will increase student engagement in classroom lessons and will allow teachers immediate feedback on instructional concepts and testing results. This allows teachers to modify instruction instantly to meet the needs of their students. By using responders, parents and students will be able to access test results from home or in the classroom, minutes after the test was given.
Currently, the limited number of teachers, district-wide who have access to the responders are using them with great success. They have learned how to format the responders for district benchmark assessments, grade level common assessments, and teacher assessments.

Renaissance Responders

Renaissance Responders are classroom response systems that can be used daily in the classroom and are tied to DSAT (Desert Sands Assessment Tool) to allow students to take assessments without scantron forms. This process will save the teacher time in grading (and/or scanning) because the results are instantaneously downloaded on the teacher’s computer. This system then instantly exports to our district-adopted gradebook. The benefits of the responders allows for immediate results, a paperless, and environmentally friendly classroom.
Additionally, using the 2Know! Toolbar, students can be engaged during all portions of the lesson, and can indicate confusion without embarrassment. With increased engagement, classroom management is improved as is overall student learning.
The use of the 2Know! Toolbar with the Classroom Responders will greatly enhance student engagement and teacher instruction. With the ability to check how well students grasp concepts and take a class pulse before moving on, teachers can be alerted at the very moment (rather than 2 days-1 week later after homework is graded). This part of the system alone will increase classroom instruction, but this technological tool will also enhance student interest and engagement, helping them to pay better attention while grasping the concepts presented.