Less than two years ago I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a Business Education degree. I knew that the majority of what I was going to be teaching would revolve around technology and that eventually the students were going to know more that I did. Well, I'm in my second year of teaching and that has already happened. I teach 6th-8th grade business education at a 1:1 Middle School. The 1:1 stands for 1 laptop for every 1 student. With this being said, my entire school revolves around technology. There are programs that the students use that I had never heard of until I started working there. On a daily basis, the students are showing me new things they figured out just by "messing" around. On a monthly basis, we have staff meetings where staff members showcase what they figured out just by "messing" around. I always knew technology would be a huge part of what I did as a teacher, but I never expected the students to be showing me how to navigate through software.
When I began thinking about what I wanted to do for a master's program, all I could think about was how technology is everywhere and we depend on it more than food sometimes. When I learned of the program at Cardinal Stritch I was thrilled. Not only was it going to meet my needs of wanting to keep up with technology, but also to give me the ability to help others keep up with technology. I'm looking forward to everything about this program. The names of classes intrigue me and I can't wait to see what I can bring back to my classroom. In the first week of class I was already thinking how I could use Google Docs and Blogs to enhance my teaching.
I love that fact that we can all meet together and still be in the confines of our home. I'm hoping that it will make working full time and going to school full time more easy. During our first class, I was amazed at how we all had different ideas to bring to the table. I never knew how convenient Google Docs was and I only wish I would've used it through my undergrad. It was great to learn how the small things can make a HUGE difference.
I have high hopes for the program and hope that it can bring me the "wow" factor that my students bring when they show me something new. I can't wait to enhance my teaching with all the new skills the program brings and to help my school maybe become a 2:1 school!
What an exciting time for you to be a teacher, is there an application that you think will change how you instruct? If so what?
ReplyDeleteAt this point I'm not necessarily sure. I don't know if any application that will necessarily change how I instruct all together, but I could see myself using different applications to meet the needs of all students, but still getting my point across.
ReplyDeleteHi Allie... Great first post! As you know, I'm here to do my homework and provide you with a review of your blog! Fun set-up and background! The only thing that jumped out at me, from a "theme" standpoint, was the fact that the names of people leaving comments and some of the other text (date) is kind of washed-out due to the font color.
ReplyDeleteWill
Hi Allie,
ReplyDeleteI like your first post. How exciting to be in a school with that much technology. Does your school run into a lot of technology challenges, such as internet not working, etc? I teach at a Title 1 middle school in Racine and we are using some of our title money to provide more technology in our school. I'm surprised to hear how much technology is being used in other schools. In Racine, one of the private schools in Racine no longer uses regular textbooks. As of this year, the textbooks are all online and students all have access to computers.
Hi Allie,
ReplyDeleteWhat is the name of the school you work at? It is really interesting to hear that it's a 1:1 school. What are some challenges you run into in terms of managing your students in that type of environment? Do they have a lot of self-directed lessons, or do you still have quite a bit of whole group instruction? Do the students have wireless capability to connect to interactive whiteboards or projectors? It sounds just fascinating to me and I can't wait to hear more about what you do!
Tammy: We run into a technology challenges on a daily basis. One of our biggest challenges is battery power! Students have the ability to take home their laptops, if their parents sign a release, but they're not always great at remembering to charge them. Also, with having 700 plus computers operating, we run into too much traffic on our server at times and students not being able to access their files. I find that the kids know that these things are going to happen and seem to adjust well. We have an awesome tech group that makes sure to be on top of our daily issues.
ReplyDeleteSue: I work at Washington Middle School in Kenosha. The students don't start the school year with the computers, so in the beginning there is a lot of whole group instruction. We try to get our laptops by parent teacher conferences, which is in two weeks for us. Currently our 8th graders have them, this week our 7th graders get them and in a week or two the 6th graders will be ready to go. Each group has to have their parents come to an informational meeting and sign off that their child can have a laptop. Students then go through a "boot camp" where they learn how to use the software, some of which is able to connect to interactive whiteboards, along with the other daily operating procedures. My computer lab is a PC lab and the students have Macs, so I'd say the biggest challenges I run into is the students wanting to use their laptops in my room instead of doing what is done on the PC's. Due to the other 5 middle schools in the district not having the laptops, I tend to not stray away from our PC curriculum. I've run into having a hard time controlling what sites the students are on. For instance, the students on Friday were allowed to do their assignment on the laptop and I caught two or three students playing games instead. The students take the laptop privilege seriously, so if you give them a warning they usually get back to work right away. I haven't had too many issues with the laptops due to the fact that I don't use them that much, but I know there are always a few issues in other classes.
As far as self-directed lessons, the students do a lot of projects on their laptops. They are given instructions and then with their creativity allowed to create their assignment. There are some teachers that let the students decide what program they want to use, as some students are more familiar with certain programs. It is always an interesting day with students and laptops, but I find it very rewarding and fun!