Technology in the Field!

My cooperating teacher has very efficient and effective classroom management strategies. Although the structure of the classroom is more of a “traditional” style, in which the teacher asks questions and students answer, her management procedures are extremely efficient. Students know her expectations and are consistent in following them. Some of her procedures include being seated and quiet once the bell rings and reverently standing for prayer (I’m observing at a private school). When one student even slightly breaks out of procedure, my cooperating teacher is immediately correcting this student’s behavior. This efficiency allows every minute of the class period to be dedicated and used for the lesson. By witnessing how beneficial such procedures can potentially be, I hope to implement similar procedures and expectations for students in my future classroom.

Despite the limited technological resources at my school, my teacher still really makes an effort to incorporate it as much as she possibly can. She frequently uses the “old school” projector (yes, the one with transparencies) to display notes for students to copy. She also uses a TV and DVD player to show movies and films, such as The Crucible by Arthur Miller, which the tenth grade honors class is currently studying. I have seen her implement more recent developments in technology with summative or group projects. She assigned students to give presentations, through the use of PowerPoint, videos, and music. Students are able to give their presentations by going to the next door classroom, which has a Smart board and digital projector. Another project students did was they created a CD with a playlist that accurately portrayed music throughout different war eras (such as World War I, II, etc). These are the different ways I’ve seen technology used and incorporated into my cooperating teacher’s classroom.

Personally, I hope to implement technology not only into summative assessments but my teaching strategies as well. However it can be difficult to fully utilize all of the latest technology available when schools have limited or low budgets. Despite this obstacle, I definitely want to incorporate as much technology into my future classroom as possible. I believe that technology, whether new or old, can be an engaging and beneficial aid for student learning. Also, it can be a way for students to become more engaged and willing to participate, for it withdraws from the often tedious lecture based teaching format. Technology is also an excellent tool for meeting the various learning needs of students.