How Technology Will Be Used in My Classroom

I believe that including technology has played a very positive role in the classroom. Some changes that have occurred due to an increase in technology is a change in teacher/student roles, increased motivation and self esteem, and collaboration with others.

Since technology has become more present in the classroom (and used properly), the role of teachers and students have started to change. One way that the role changes for a teacher is that they become more of a facilitator in the classroom as opposed to the expert full of information. The teacher can make sure that the students are on task and thinking critically, but the teacher has stepped aside and let the students guide their own education. Along with that, the role of the student changes. The students become more actively engaged in the classroom, as opposed to passively listening. One way that I see myself using technology positively in the classroom is by having students researching topics. I really like the idea of jigsaw type learning or expert groups. I love having students research their own topics and make sense of an idea or problem for themselves and share how they reached a conclusion with other classmates. This is so applicable in both the math and science class. 

I believe that students' motivation and self-esteem grows with the use of technology. Using technology like blog posts and anonymous answering for topics allows every student to get their ideas and thoughts out. Some students are really shy and do not like to talk in class, but allowing them to comment outside of class will hopefully make them more motivated to participate. Through technology, these students are able to make their ideas known without worrying what other students might think of them.  I definitely want to implement blog posts and discussion boards so students can have the opportunity to participate in classroom discussions without feeling left out. This is so especially important in the middle school classrooms when students are struggling with their self-esteem and changes to begin with. 

Finally, I think collaboration skills are so necessary for life inside and outside of the classroom. This point goes right along with the role of students and teachers changing. Having students work in groups to learn. With the teacher being more of a facilitator than information deliverer, students have to work together and with the teacher to make sense of the information and concepts. 

I think the use of technology in the classroom allows the classroom to be more inquiry based and student-centered, which has been proven to be a more effective way for students to learn and learn well. I think that there is a sweet spot of including the use and non use of technology in the classroom. I think that the majority of class time should be inquiry and student based, but it is often necessary to have teacher "lecture" and giving the students information. There is no one perfect classroom for each student and teacher. It is very much a case-by-case, or year-by-year change for each and every person.

Sources: http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html