Where am I with technology in the classroom? Am I a user or integrator? After analyzing a chart provided to me in a previous class, I am a bit embarrassed to say I find myself mostly in the user column, with a few areas of integration. But, this gives me something to work toward! I frequently use the SAMR model, which is basically a rubric for technology use in the classroom to strive toward using technology for more than mere substitution, to help me decide how to use technology in the classroom. I try and steer away from using technology as a substitute for a traditional teaching method, and strive toward using technology to enhance and redefine student learning to a level they couldn't achieve before with traditional teaching methods.
Some of the areas I hope to improve on are as follows:
Some of the areas I hope to improve on are as follows:
- Technology as a routine part of our day/Technology is planned and purposeful
- With so many expectations and demands on teachers, as well as expected fidelity to purchased curriculum, I was finding it difficult to make the time for technology this past year. Beginning next year, I am hoping to take a few tools discovered in a technology class I am currently taking, and get good at those few tools and find ways to purposefully integrate them with the students to enhance their learning experience.
- I am hoping to use technology in math as part of a flipped classroom in this subject. The idea is to make direct instructional videos that students can watch at home (more than once if need be), and then apply what they learned in the classroom with more teacher support, collaboration exercises, and more individual instruction.
- Technology is used to support curricular goals and learning objectives
- This is part of my struggle. I want to use technology more but I struggle with reaching the higher levels of SAMR with it. I do use technology two days a week in my leveled reading group. Once a week students whisper read the main selection along with the audio reading of the story for the week, and on Fridays, the students use their computers to write vocab words and definitions for the next week as a frontloading activity. Once they finish that, there are vocab games on Quizlett, that they can play to help solidify the definitions of the upcoming words.
- Again, I am hoping that my plan to use technology for math and the flipped classroom will be successful in reaching the goals and objectives.
- Technology is used to foster HOTS (Higher order thinking skills)
- This ties into number two and my desire to not simply use a computer just to say I did. Adding technology needs to enhance the learning beyond traditional methods of teaching.