Using Technology in the Classroom: Giving kids access to success

Using technology in the classroom is something I am unfamiliar with and feel a bit hesitant about.  I admit that in my last practicum we used some technology like a document camera and computers, however beyond this it was limited.  I have a tough time imagining what kind of technology I can share with the students and how can I push past the limitations of the resources in schools.  This week we had the pleasure of inviting Sandra McAulay into our Education-431 classroom— a Grade 7 and District Curriculum resource teacher from Bulkley Valley.  Sandra introduced our class to the idea of the use of iPads.

When I first heard about the topic we were going to be discussing I was very close minded.  I thought how can a teacher possibly get a class set of iPads in their school.  Ipads are very expensive and if you haven’t heard, schools have tight budgets.  Sandra asked us to open up our minds to the possibilities of ed tech in our classrooms and discussed certain apps and programs that you can use within schools:

• Skitch: inputting info into a picture of a worksheet
• Fresh Grade: individual student portfolios that are only accessible by the teacher, student, and parent
• Epic: children’s digital library
• Pic Collage: picture editing app—can be used similarly to Skitch

Not only did Sandra present these apps to us, but she also gave examples of how they may make an everyday worksheet that was not possible for a student to complete, now possible.  By using an app like Skitch, you can take a picture of a worksheet and then use the keypad on the iPad for support.  Students that may have trouble with written skills, may flourish by using an iPad because it removes the pencil and replaces it with technology for access.  Another benefit from apps is text to speech or even speech to text.  These apps can help students to read and write with a little support.  Technology also doesn’t stop at this, things like noise cancelling headphones can help students focus. The possibilities of technology in the classroom are endless.

I felt inspired by the many tools that technology can give us as educators. However, I was still stumped by the thoughts that were looming over me regarding funds. We discussed this with Sandra and she told us that it all starts small.  You start out by making a case to your district: Ed tech can engage more students and is used for all learners in the classroom. The most important part is to be persistent.  You need to make a long-term plan and start small.  Once you have gotten the ball rolling you just need to keep the momentum going by following up on all your plans and then you can access iPads for your school and class.

Another thing that we discussed was the use of twitter for professional educator purposes.  Sandra mentioned that “twitter is not going to change your life, but the educators you meet there will!”  This statement is actually a big reason of why we got to invite Sandra into our classroom as our instructor for Education-431 met Sandra through twitter and found out that she was a tech-whiz! By observing how this professional relationship stemmed through a social media platform and grew into a professional benefit, I can envision how I may use twitter as an educator.

Following this workshop I hope to use technology in my practicum class this fall.  I have learned more about our district’s resource center and the endless possibilities of the resources website.  I hope that I can aid students in their literacy with the Tumblebooks app and maybe even discover new tech to use.  The potential is there and maybe my coaching teacher will even have some ideas and be able to aid me as well.