Integrating Technology in the Elementary Classroom
Is there a way to integrate technology with my young students without causing frustration for either of us?
Many of my students are familiar with technology that they use to play games at home. However, that does not mean that they are able to easily access contact and work with technology in the classroom. Whenever I introduce a new activity, the students need step-by-step instructions for how to use tablets and laptops. Simple steps, such as clicking a link or finding an application, take much longer and must be modeled for them. I know that they will become better at accessing technology with practice, but it can be hard to find the time in lessons to help them before even giving activity instructions. This can cause frustration for me as I struggle between wanting to give them access to technology and weighing the time constraints of the classroom. This can cause frustration for the students, because they can become easily overwhelmed by the amount of steps they need to complete independently to complete an activity.
In order to help the students gain access, I have tried some different tactics when introducing a new activity. Guiding the students in small groups, instead of the whole class at once, has helped to alleviate some of the frustrations. I have also recorded myself following the steps, using an application like Screencast-o-matic, and then showed it to the students. This helps because students are able to view the video whenever they need to see the steps again. Overall, I find technology to be an important resource in the classroom and I am still brainstorming ways to help make the initial process easier for the students.
Can I integrate technology in a way that doesn't distract from the learning objectives I am trying to reach?
Young students do not have a long attention span and they are constantly looking for something to grab their attention. It can be hard to compete with technology with the amount of screen time students are experiencing outside of school. Students are drawn to the technology and I try to find ways to incorporate it so that it helps them to better reach the content. I am not in the habit of using technology just because we have access to it. This can cause me to struggle with introducing new technology activities. I want to make sure that the technology will improve their understanding of the learning objectives in a way that I cannot with traditional teaching methods.
I like to use the advice and experience of other teachers when making decisions about technology. When researching new technology, I like to use Common Sense Education edtech reviews to hear from other teachers around the world to hear how they have used them in their classroom. I collaborate with other teachers in my school to discuss technology and develop activities. We teach the same population and that can help when trying to find tools and resources that will help reach learning targets. We use Schoology and Google Drive to share lessons and activities that utilize technology.
How can I use utilize technology in a way that helps students use creativity and take control of their learning?
After overcoming the hurdles of what technology I am going to use and how I am going to help the students access it, I think about the biggest reason I choose to use technology in my classroom. I want to allow students the opportunity to work creatively and collaborate as they take ownership of their learning. Young students are eager to learn and are always looking for me to lead them through activities. I want to expose them to the many amazing tools and resources that are available to them. It is exciting, and a little scary, to show them that they can use technology to do incredible things on their own. Watching my students work together and make connections to the content eases my mind that the time commitments put into technology are well worth it.
I have found and used many technology resources since I started my masters degree. Take a look at some of my favorite Web 2.0 Tools on VoiceThread I created in EDT6010. I am also including the links below:
Great information and examples of Web 2.0 tools that can be used in a classroom! As a first grade teacher I found this to be very informative and helpful, especially the examples of resources. Integrating technology with such young kids is absolutely terrifying to think about, but once you take the leap...smooth sailing! Also, it's helpful if early grade levels introduce it so that higher grade levels can focus on making them more proficient, making it even more crucial that we dive in.
ReplyDeleteYou posed the question "How can I use technology in a way that helps students use creativity and take control of their learning". That is absolutely a gigantic hurdle for me and I loved hearing your insight; I plan on making sure I am not using just what is available to me because it's available, however making sure our classroom usage is meaningful.
I'm glad that you found the resources helpful. Although it can be a daunting task, I agree that it is important to introduce young students to technology in the classroom. Repeated practice will help them become more comfortable with using technology independently in higher grade levels. I hope that we are able to find some meaningful ways to use technology with our elementary students.
DeleteI loved reading your blog of all the ways that you like to incorporate technology in your classroom! There are times when I get so overwhelmed with all of the awesome resources that can be used to create collaboration, engagement, and accessibility in a lesson.
ReplyDeleteI am a sixth grade math teacher that has only been teaching for two years and as much as I love the idea of using technology in our math classroom, I become frustrated at times when deciding where to get started and what resources are the most beneficial to add to our mathematical experience. I loved reading about ways you keep your students focused with the learning objective in mind, this is the hardest part of using technology for me. I will be sure to check out the link you shared about how other teachers around the world use technology! So cool!
I just took a look at some of the awesome Web 2.0 tools you shared! Some I had heard of before but for the most part, I learned so much. One that really stood out to me was Spiral, do you have experience with using Spiral in your classroom? I am interested in using this next year as a platform that could be nice for incorporating a nice flow to lessons incorporating all of the awesome resources in one platform!
I enjoyed your blog. I totally understand the frustration when trying to use technology in the classroom. Due to time constraints it is hard to take 2-3 days showing how and using new technology. Students often stray from directions when technology is in front of them and they struggle to follow directions. With that being said I love your ideas of modeling via small groups instead of whole group and recording a screencast as well. I was familiar with some of your top ten web 2.0 tools specifically Padlet, Flipgrid, and Popplet. The others were new to me. Thank you for introducing them. I would like to research Show Me a little more in hopes to progress towards a flipped classroom. Thanks for all the new ideas.
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