Technology in the Classroom

My first lesson plan involving technology actually served as an extension to a prior lesson I had taught. The lesson preceding my technology lesson consisted of teaching students how to write a basic message to their parents/guardians, which would be shown to their parents/guardians during Parent-Teacher conferences. Once the students had completed their messages, I instructed them that while we were in the computer lab, they were to create a picture, using Kid Pix, that relates to the content of their messages. For example, if a student wrote about a class party, I would expect that student to create their own picture that represented the class party in his/her own eyes. After a half an hour of computer lab time had passed, I quickly printed off each student's picture and brought them to class. Using the flex camera in the classroom, I invited each student to come up and present his/her picture, if he/she so desired, (I left that option open for anyone who was especially shy, or who did not want to display his/her picture). One by one, the students came up to the flex camera to display and explain the various parts of their picture. As they walked up to the front of the room, I gave them ideas of things they could clarify, like: who was in their picture, why they chose to use certain colors, and what exactly they drew. In carrying out this lesson plan I was pleased to find that the students were highly engaged and excited to complete the task I had assigned. Their pictures turned out amazing and it was fun to hear their individualized explanations for how and why they created their pictures.

Possible Lesson Plan

In collaborating with my cooperating teacher, I have discovered that the students are currently learning about different types of weather. As we planned and discussed, I immediately thought of using Garageband to compile a number of mp3 clips of different weather sounds, (like thunder, rain, and wind) and space them out in 15 second intervals. I would then export my final project to iTunes, where I could use the clip to play during an activity that follows a discussion/instruction on the various types of weather. After the discussion, each of the students would be handed a worksheet that presents a number of labeled pictures of weather in one column that is adjacent to another column comprised of blank lines. As students hear each sound from the clip I have created, they will write a number "1" next to the labeled picture that best represents the sound they heard, a number "2" next to the labeled picture that best represents the second sound they heard, and so on. After all the sounds have been played, we will go over the worksheet as a class.

Technology Inventory for Jordan Ridge

Today my co-teaching partner and I explored Jordan Elementary School in search of the technology that was available both inside the classroom and throughout the school. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this particular elementary school was very well equipped. In each classroom, you will find a projector, a flex camera, a television with VHS capabilities hung in one of the corners of the room, and at least one computer. Furthermore, there is a computer lab with 32 Macintosh computers available for class use. This is an extremely useful asset to the school because it provides students with the opportunity to become more familiar with computers and creative software programs designed for elementary students. Additionally, since the school can afford classes to have rotational computer lab time, students are exposed to exciting programs that are both educational and fun to work on. As I observed my first grade class, I was amazed at the procedures they were taught to use while in the lab, such as using bookmarks on the Safari web browser and computer key shortcuts to exit out of programs. I wish this area of the curriculum was a part of my education growing up!

Adjacent to this computer lab is the school's media center. As we talked with one of the workers, she informed us that there were many other technological aids, such as digital camcorders, cameras, flex cams, projectors, and televisions with DVD capabilities, that teachers could check out. She invited us to explore the other cabinets of the media center to help us with our technology inventory and we were excited to find two GeoSafari Jr. games, AlphaSmart keyboards, sketch projectors, and other cool hardware! This exploration was extremely informative because it gave my partner and I an idea of the technology that is available to us to implement in our future lesson plans.