http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/using-technology-to-motivate-middle-school-students
When looking for an article I wanted to focus on the use of technology in the classroom. This article does just that; and does an excellent job of explaining why technology is so important and several ways to use technology. One of the ways listed is through the use of webquest which I learned about through this assignment and truly enjoyed learning about. When teachers use technology it shows they value young adolescents which is a characteristic of TWB. They value their students by teaching through methods that will interest young middle schoolers. In the article, active learning, challenging curriculum, and multiple learning approaches, several of the TWB characteristic under Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, are mentioned word for word. I definitely agree that technology can do all these thing and more. It motivates the students because it allows the students to be an individual and complete an assignment or participate in class in his/her own unique way. The teachers are satisfied because the concept is be learned and the student is satisfied because they get to express themselves. Also the use of technology allows for assessment to be varied. It is not the usually pencil and paper which all students are not the best at. The use of a portfolio as mentioned in the article, can be used as a assessment tool. So much is available through the use of technology that can motivate middle school students by incorporating their interests through challenging, creative, real-life application, and active instruction; this article is just the beginning.
Technology is growing so rapidly, it is just a matter of time before everything we do in the classroom will require some form of electronic device. I enjoy using technology, but with our current standards it can be difficult to find the time to utilize it correctly. I think in order for technology to be utilized effectively it takes help from not just the classroom teacher, but the media specialist and the computer lab instructor. I am fortunate because our schools media specialist is always willing to work with the teachers to develop activities. This year she wants us to develop a unit that she and the computer lab teacher can work cooperatively with the teachers and students on. I also noticed that the end of the article mentioned E-Pals. My sister told me about this about a month ago, and I was very excited to hear about this resource. I plan on researching a little more about E-Pals, and hopefully can find a place to use it in my classroom. Thank you for the article Candice!
ReplyDeleteI have to touch on what Sunny said. Yes, hands down, no doubt about it, technology is wonderful. However, you add being a first year teacher to trying to learn how to work all that technology in the classroom, and WOW, you've got yourself a mess!!! It's just so much, us teachers have to wear so many hats, and wear them all perfectly!!
ReplyDeleteI love that there was this added assessment tool when using the portfolio. That'd be awesome for a teacher! Neat post, Candice.
Technology is growing rapidly, Sunny, but as teachers we have to find a way to keep up if we want to stay relevant especially in MS. The students spend so much time using technology in one for or another that we have to include it somehow in our lesson presentation or assignments. Some of the options take time on the teacher's part to get setup but I think in the end it will be well worth it.
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