High Tech Teacher: Why?

 

Technology has become nearly as essential to our lives as eating and sleeping. It should be used in the classroom, but in the right way. Students seem busier than ever, and when they have free time, I see them completely absorbed in technology, but often not the kind of technology that enriches their learning. For this reason, I would like to infuse technology into my classroom instruction so that using technology devices to share and complete learning is as normal as using pencil and paper.

My ideal classroom, and the classroom I will strive to create, is one where technology is used to stimulate thoughtful conversations each day. I want the technology to create an environment where everyone may share their thoughts simultaneously about a topic, and I can quickly and easily assess student understanding. I also plan to use the technology to provide individualized learning to extend the knowledge of some students and provide additional reteaching for others. Having technology devices readily available will allow me to change individual student activities as needed each day to meet each student’s learning needs. The technology will also be used to provide easier access to recent articles, websites for research, and publishing tools. Additionally, the technology will enhance group work and create the opportunity to develop meaningful station activities that meet eighth grade standards.

As a High Tech Teacher, I plan to bring new ideas to fruition in the classroom and share my processes, successes, advice, and activity ideas with other teachers. While I hope that students still increase their knowledge through the pages of books, I realize that the tools technology devices provide can and will extend this knowledge even further and I intend to use these devices to do just that in my classroom.