One of the group projects in our tech class was to present on a teaching tool that could potentially be used in our own classrooms. Last week one group talked to us about Digital Storytelling, an application that allows users to upload pictures and create a slideshow while recording audio. The end product is basically a slideshow similar to that in PowerPoint, with your recording playing in the background.
We had a seminar class this past summer, and one group had talked about how planning and teaching lessons was like telling a story, and using Digital Storytelling would be a great way to showcase the visual while creating your own narration to go with it. I have used YouTube videos to show students more difficult concepts in my own teaching, but since it was someone else's video, I couldn't tailor the video narration to suit my students' needs. Students in more advanced classes could skip over some of the introductory information in some videos and go straight to the key concept, while some students may benefit more from hearing the introductory portion as a reminder.
Digital Storytelling wasn't without its problems; we had some issues with adding more stills to our presentation, and other issues with recording and playback. Figuring out the functions of Digital Storytelling took some playing around on the app, but overall I think this would be a good way to make my own videos and narration for my students.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Guest Presenter
We recently had a guest speaker in our technology class to talk to us about cell phone use in classrooms. Before this session, we read an interview transcript and excerpts from her blog, and I thought it sounded way too idealistic. Students are on their phones all day long, and it takes some special skill to have them put down the phones and pay attention, and now she wanted to have them continue to use their phones and learn? It just sounded silly.
Her presentation to us during class made her out to be a little less idealistic about using cell phones in class, especially since she was having students complete surveys or do polls on their phones. To tackle the issue of student distraction, she asked all students to put their phones face down on the top right hand corner of their desks, and to close all laptops.
She had several activities for use on our phones, but overall it was all about using cell phones to answer survey questions. The only difference was how long the surveys were. She also mentioned logging into virtual classrooms using smartphones, but we logged into the classroom using our computers instead. Virtual classrooms, while a good idea, may not work on smartphone/tablet as well as they do on the computer, even if there is an app specifically designed for phone or tablet.
I'm sure that there are plenty of teaching tools one can do on a cell, but I remained unimpressed by her talk. It just seemed like using it to poll students on their opinions, not necessarily to help them learn more. And until I see evidence that students are learning when they're whipping out their phones to do these silly surveys, I remain skeptical.
Her presentation to us during class made her out to be a little less idealistic about using cell phones in class, especially since she was having students complete surveys or do polls on their phones. To tackle the issue of student distraction, she asked all students to put their phones face down on the top right hand corner of their desks, and to close all laptops.
She had several activities for use on our phones, but overall it was all about using cell phones to answer survey questions. The only difference was how long the surveys were. She also mentioned logging into virtual classrooms using smartphones, but we logged into the classroom using our computers instead. Virtual classrooms, while a good idea, may not work on smartphone/tablet as well as they do on the computer, even if there is an app specifically designed for phone or tablet.
I'm sure that there are plenty of teaching tools one can do on a cell, but I remained unimpressed by her talk. It just seemed like using it to poll students on their opinions, not necessarily to help them learn more. And until I see evidence that students are learning when they're whipping out their phones to do these silly surveys, I remain skeptical.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Technology in my Placement
The high school classroom has changed considerably since I graduated; all of my high school classrooms had whiteboards or chalkboards, with a separate projector screen that rolled into the ceiling. The only place we had internet was the computer lab, and USB flashdrives were just starting to enter the market.
Fast-forward to today, where I'm currently student-teaching at a high needs school about 30 minutes away. All the classrooms have chalkboards, but half the chalkboard is covered with a SmartBoard and its projector. We also have a communal cart of iPads that can be checked out for student use. That being said, there is not much else. The staff computers in the classrooms are old desktops that run Windows 7 on machines designed for Windows XP, while the only computer lab is in the school library. WiFi is spotty on days it actually exists, but most days there is no WiFi unless the teacher brings in a separate router, which is part of the communal iPad cart.
While I can see how fancy technology can enhance learning, I think that technology can also distract students from engaging in class. So many students, especially during the first two periods, are on their phones between discussions (or are permanently stuck to their phones no matter what else is going on). Without WiFi, they dig into their data plan. Imagine what would happen if there was open WiFi at the school.
The SmartBoard in the class has its own pros and cons. I like it since it allows me to mark up my presentations in real time, but since it takes up half of the only existing chalkboard, I have limited space. Somehow when I teach, I take up as many chalkboards/whiteboards as possible. So when I fill up the SmartBoard, I only have half a chalkboard left to write, which leaves me with the dilemma of what to erase first, especially if I'm moving through material at a much faster rate than the students are accustomed to, but more on my lesson-pacing later. The SmartBoard, like all the other electronics in the classroom, is prone to freezing, shutting down, and general malfunction. At least with the chalkboard or whiteboard, the only issues I anticipate are running out of writing utensils and not having an eraser.
Overall I enjoy my placement without the myriad of fancy technology available. It's not a matter of training staff to use the technology, but also knowing what to do in case fancy technology fails. I prefer students to be less distracted, hence still looking for whiteboards in every classroom I'm in.
Fast-forward to today, where I'm currently student-teaching at a high needs school about 30 minutes away. All the classrooms have chalkboards, but half the chalkboard is covered with a SmartBoard and its projector. We also have a communal cart of iPads that can be checked out for student use. That being said, there is not much else. The staff computers in the classrooms are old desktops that run Windows 7 on machines designed for Windows XP, while the only computer lab is in the school library. WiFi is spotty on days it actually exists, but most days there is no WiFi unless the teacher brings in a separate router, which is part of the communal iPad cart.
While I can see how fancy technology can enhance learning, I think that technology can also distract students from engaging in class. So many students, especially during the first two periods, are on their phones between discussions (or are permanently stuck to their phones no matter what else is going on). Without WiFi, they dig into their data plan. Imagine what would happen if there was open WiFi at the school.
The SmartBoard in the class has its own pros and cons. I like it since it allows me to mark up my presentations in real time, but since it takes up half of the only existing chalkboard, I have limited space. Somehow when I teach, I take up as many chalkboards/whiteboards as possible. So when I fill up the SmartBoard, I only have half a chalkboard left to write, which leaves me with the dilemma of what to erase first, especially if I'm moving through material at a much faster rate than the students are accustomed to, but more on my lesson-pacing later. The SmartBoard, like all the other electronics in the classroom, is prone to freezing, shutting down, and general malfunction. At least with the chalkboard or whiteboard, the only issues I anticipate are running out of writing utensils and not having an eraser.
Overall I enjoy my placement without the myriad of fancy technology available. It's not a matter of training staff to use the technology, but also knowing what to do in case fancy technology fails. I prefer students to be less distracted, hence still looking for whiteboards in every classroom I'm in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)