In Our Schools: Foundations and Assessment of Education/Edition 1/Foundations Table of Contents/Chapter 11/11.4.3

From WITTIE

Learning Targets
Understand what technology can do for the student.
See how a teacher uses technology in their classroom.
See some technology that is being used in todays classrooms.

Introduction
Technology, for me, going through school was a rapidly growing tool. Although, in my day we mainly only used Word processor and very little bit of Power Point. Where students are learning how to use all of these new technologies, it is more recent that teachers have begun to push the use of technology, such as powerpoint, word processor, and another new ways to use electronics to do the things that we used to do without.

Talking to Someone Who Knows!
I interviewed a teacher at a local high school about her knowledge and use of technology in there classroom.
1. What, if any, types of technology do you use in your classroom?  I’m fortunate in that I have five student computers in my classroom.  That is because I’m newspaper sponsor and literary magazine sponsor.  As a result, I use InDesign CS2 (I’m hoping to upgrade) to produce those two publications.  Newspaper Production and its pre-requisite, Journalistic Writing, are elective classes; the literary magazine, The Cupola, is an extra-curricular activity. This year we are putting the school newspaper online, a demanding undertaking, but a challenge that we believe will improve the quality of our publication in sundry ways. As an English teacher, I encourage my students to word process their essays, and it is my goal to teach them how to write a paper completely electronically. PowerPoints are incorporated occasionally, as is video streaming.  I am, however, intrigued by an alternative to PowerPoint, Prezi.com, and a new discovery on my part, Wordles (wordle.net, I think), both of which I believe will add a bit of excitement to class projects.
2. What do you use technology for in your classroom, and how does it help you? (please answer this question based on the types of technology that you listed in question 1) I use a lot of technology in my Newspaper Production and Journalism classes in order to produce and publish the school newspaper. I use that same technology to produce the literary magazine. I must confess that I do not use technology to a great extent, but one of my personal goals is to strengthen my use of technology. I want to incorporate blogging in my English and Creative Writing classes. I’ve started designating students as “Google jockeys” when we have questions to answer during a class.  Doing this allows me to make use of technology, empowers individual students,  and shows my students how they can quickly and efficiently access information.  My ultimate goal is to ensure that my students are computer literate when they leave my classroom and that they know how to make the computer work for them in order to extend their learning.
3. Do you feel that technology in your class enhances the learning environment?  I believe that as a general rule technology can enhance learning.  However, I do not believe teachers should be so dependent upon it that they abrogate their role as teachers and merely become facilitators. 
4. Do you like the use of technology your classroom?  I’m not satisfied with my use of technology.  I believe that I need to work to incorporate greater use of technology in my classes.
5. Does the School require that you incorporate the use of technology in your classroom?  Require, no.  Encourage, yes.
6. Do you see any difference in learning, from the students, when you do use technology, verses when you don't use technology?  The answer to this depends greatly upon the kind of technology and the interest level.  If the technology offers something interesting and engaging, then students will pay attention, be engaged, and learn.  If the technology is boring, then it is no better than using a telephone book from which to teach.  Since students are very gadget-oriented and very visual, using technology does offer an advantage over other teaching strategies.  But I think the bottom line remains the enthusiasm and creativity of the teacher. 
Conclusion
Schools and teachers are always trying to find new ways to use technology in there classrooms. From talking to a local high school teacher I have found out that in order to teach using these tools the teachers must be educated in them, to be able to teach the students what they need to do and learn. I thought it was very interesting that teachers want there students to, at the very least, be able to understand and use technology to make it threw todays society. wether its from writing newspapers, to making powerpoint presentations, and as far as, their is a video chat program that is called Skype that allows people to talk over very long distances (this could be used for business meetings as well) (Skype). According to the teacher trainees the most beneficial features of the internet were easy access to information, easy communication, feeling free and being able to access any part of the world, making the best of their free time and educational opportunities (Orhan Akmoglu). Technology helps students see and work with things they never could in the past. Help them grow as they grow in school.

Questions
1. What is a good way to answer questions that the teacher does not know?
a. Have a student look it up (google jockey)
b. Tell the student to ask the question later
c. Make the student look it up right then
d. Tell them to stop talking

2. Why should teachers not rely solely on Technology in there classroom?
a. The technology is not always correct.
b. Students will think that they do not need to come to class because everything is online.
c. Teachers will become facilitators.
d. Students will stop paying attention.

3. What is the advantage of using technology in the classroom?
a. Having easy access to information.
b. Allows students to help each other.
c. Allows you to have interactive classrooms
d. All of the Above.

4. What is the main reason that teachers do not teach technology in there classrooms?
a. Teachers do not have access to the materials.
b. Teachers do not know enough about technology to teach it.
c. Students do not like when teachers use technology.
d. None of the above.

Answers:1.a,2.c,3.d,4.b

References
Orhan Akmoglu. (2009). Internet and Internet Use: Teacher Trainees' Perspective. 97-103. http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/hww/results/getResults.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.33

Skype.Skype.com

Tmint002 15:55, 26 September 2009 (UTC)

Tmint002 17:02, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

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