Technology in the 21st Century Classroom
| Average Ratings | |
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| Five Stars | |
“Technology in education is less about the toolset and skillset and more about the mindset. The teacher’s most prominent role in the digital age is that of lead learner.”
Technology has become an integral part of our life and learning patterns in the 21st century. The internet, blogs and smart phones are some examples of tools that we use to grow in our knowledge and understanding. Using technology like this in the classroom requires more than knowing how to use the tool. Teachers need to understand the role of technology in the learning process, and the principles behind integrating it in a way that it promotes learning without it being a distraction.
This course teaches concepts and ideas behind using technology in the classroom. It also helps teachers to understand the various skills that students need to develop in order to use technology in the most effective way. It equips teachers to help students use technology intelligently and responsibly.
Click on the button below to register in this course.
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| 5 clock hours |
| $39 |
This course aligns with International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards
for teachers and meets state technology requirements for teachers.
I really enjoyed trying out the websites included in this course. I admit I was starting to fall behind in technology and I feel that this course and the websites/resources provided have given me some ideas to incorporate technology into my classroom. Overall I think my students will appreciate these new resources to differentiate their lessons and give them some more hands-on experiences.
This course included more material new to me than my last two PLB courses. Even better, it had links that I intend to return to as needed. Thanks.
This course has changed my persepctive in many ways. One is it has made me more aware of the need for transparency when using the internet. The other, more importantly, is it has helped me look at my exsisting lesson plans and think of ways to try and adapt them so they will have a technology component. There really isn't a single thing we do that can't do this. In fact it will be the way of the future. As it stands now, many of my students are using ipads to take notes and create student work. As long as they aren't playing Angry Birds, it is all good!
A great deal of technical terminology was foreign to me before I started this course. I have a new appreciation for blogs and various instructor/student sites that can be helpful for both students and teachers. The quiz was also a solid assessment of what was presented in the course.
I have made a few decisions. One is that I am going to allow more input from the students (when the class allows for it). I am going to give students more freedom to use technology where they see fit, not just want I want. For example, I am having my students do a project on a president coming up. I usually make them create a poster for this project, they now have the choice of creating a blog, using facebook, making a powerpoint or creating a poster. I also worked with one of my resource room students today on a paper that he is writing. We discussed how to find accurate information on the web. The next time I teach inclusion I think I would like to add a blog to the class. I like the idea of students responding to each other online.
This course has broadened my view of technology within the classroom. From the material, I have become more confident in using technology within the classroom. According to the material and the quiz, a teacher should realize that sometimes they are learning along with the students. It is acceptable to make mistakes and reflect when using these tools.
This course had me take a step back and look at my teaching style. I thought I was using technology by the occasional technology based project and using the SmartBoard everyday. I now realize this is not enough. There are so many different ways I could include technology into my daily lessons. I need to try harder to include technology into the lessons.
I have made some decisions of specific ideas that I am going to implement in my classroom to help my students become intelligent digital learners. 1. I want to have students use podcasts to create presentations 2. I want to teach a lesson on trustworthy websites v. untrustworthy websites and analyze how to incorporate ideas from these websites without plagiarizing. 3. I plan on having the students use blogs to discuss a topic in class as a homework assignment 4. I want to use a website that will allow students to read a fellow classmates essay and offer suggestions to them 5. I would like to try to use google earth in my geography lessons.
I think this course has enlightened me to different ways I can incorporate technology into my lessons. It has also taught me that the students are more engaged in learning when the enjoy what they are learning and the way they learn is being differentiated. As a math teacher I still believe it is difficult to use technology all the time but I have learned that it is worth it to come up with new ideas to use it.
This course has made me aware that there are many different methods of incorporating technology into the classroom. I knew that technology gave students instant access to all kinds of information but the concept of making lessons more fun, engaging the student, student centered learning will have a positive impact on my teaching. I do believe it is my responsibility as a teacher to continually improve and implementing new technologies will certainly lead to more effective learning.
This course has made me more aware of all the potential technology tools which are available to me in the classroom. For example I already use GPS's for my vector labs, and excel for use in plotting data. In our physics dept. we have a Logger Pro. This software will enable students to measure distances and velocities which can be projected onto the smartboard. In the future I plan on using this in my linear motion lessons.