IT’s Elementary! Integrating technology in the Primary Grades
presented by Boni Hamilton
I blogged about Boni’s book IT’s elementary! last summer, when we were getting ready to open up TechConnect. It was an invaluable resource. I was thrilled to see her present at FETC .
- Integrating Technology is the TEACHER’S RESPONSIBILITY. The only person who knows what the students did, what they know and where they are going is the Teacher
- Integrating is integral to good instruction. Instruction comes always first. Technology is just a tool to deliver it.
- Collaboration improves both instruction and integration.
Perfect team: Classroom teacher working with trained media specialist and teacher who know technology.
Positive thinking. Don’t say “I can’t. Don’t complain that you can’t do anythin, because you only have one computer, no projector, no this no that. Use what you do have and INTEGRATE.
Don’t stuff technology into teaching units, but teach and wrap technology around it.
Drawing- Non linguistic representation
- Retell
- Interpret
- Label (ex. Student draws an insect and labels different parts)
- Sequencing
- Propose (ex. good nutritional meal)
- Illustrate (ex. Water cycle)
- Construct (ex. their vision of how the rainforest looks like)
- Imagine (ex. how does the dinosaur look like?)
- Create (ex. Solar system)
Have kids draw instead of using clipart or online images
drawing is how many student process
Draw in 4 squares help students process
Lenski Wiki: Project for every grade levels, freeware for PC, handouts etc
Short introduction to a software then let them explore.Don’t go to the computer lab to learn a software program. Don’t teach technology skills. Kids will figure it out on their own.
Example Ideas:
- Illustrating a piece of a book. I wonder… I predict statement using powerpoint.
Working with figurative language:
- Illustrating idioms ex. I laugh my head off, next slide “The thunder boomed with fright. Boom Boom!
- Personification. Cartoon with speech bubbles.
- Simile and metaphor
- Creating graphic organizers
Rain forest project. Started in the library and continued in the classroom. Each student of a group researched a different layer of the rainforest. Each student used images with captions to represent their layer then recorded audio in PowerPoint . In the end all students added the layers together. Great effect when PP slideshow was showing.
Using a classroom wiki : Each student has their own page, where they publish work that they want their parents to see.
Peer pressure among teachers are helping get reluctant teachers on board. Show off students’ work. Some of the pressure comes from parents that see what others are doing.
Technology integration is NOT intuitive, it does not come natural.
Tips:
- Teachers are co-teaching (Saying “hello” is not co-teaching)
- Strong instructors thatunderstand the point is not to teach a software but skills, asses, introduce, reinforce
- Teachers are learning along side their students. Need to be at a computer too. Get classroom teachers involved.
- Teachers need to understand that it is ok not to know. That is one of the biggest barrier for classroom teachers.
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January 31st, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I strongly agree with your point of using technology in every classroom. All students learn differently, and by having various ways of teaching the same subject one is able to reach every child.
Computers in the classroom are beneficial to students because:
*It is a great way to bring teachers together and to discuss lesson plans as a group.
*Students have fun with hands-on work. Studies have shown that test scores are increased when a child works with technology in the classroom. (http://caret.iste.org)
*It gives children a chance to show their creativity. Each child will have their own way of portraying the information.
*Students will be proud to show their parents and grandparents their work. Some parents will not know how to use the programs that their children are using at such a young age. Other students will learn what a difference the details make too and it may inspire them.
* The use of technology is necessary for their future. Think about where a child would be if he/she had never used a computer before!
Starting children at an elementary school age prepares them for the future. Why begin teaching a student to use a computer in middle or high school? There is no age barrier with a computer. Pre-school aged children can play with MS Paint, pretend to write letters in Word, or play games with Dora the Explorer at Nickjr.com. Teachers shy away from technology in the classroom, I believe, for two reasons. One is because they don’t feel comfortable with it themselves. Two is because they don’t know if it will always work. Having a tech-aid on-hand will relieve teachers’ stress if their plan doesn’t work. But, as some teachers are, students are not afraid of computers. They can grab the mouse and start learning. You can tell someone how to do something as much as you want, but it’s not until the experience comes that you learn something.
January 7th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I agree with your viewpoint on several fronts. I think it is imperative that teachers implement technology into their classrooms for many reasons. The biggest reason is that technology continues to increase opportunities and expand rapidly. If we do not help our students gain exposure to these technological developments, they will have a difficult time catching up in the future when they need to use technology in their daily lives. Another reason to use technology is because students, even at the Kindergarten level, can use technology and love to use it. My students use laptops to work on various sites, such as author’s pages or educational programs. We also use discovery education and brainpop jr. to show great educational videos to the students. I have a SMARTBOard and the students love to interact with it in lessons we do. It is a great way to make that home school connection so parents can stay involved in what is happening in their child’s education.
I think it is true that many teachers are intimidated by technology, especially if they were not taught how to use it (college, professional development). It is hard to use something that you do not feel comfortable with yourself when trying to teach it to others. I agree that having a technology resource available is very important. Technology is great but it is not always reliable and if you do not know how to fix a problem when it occurs, it makes you less willing to use it again. I believe another reason teachers do not use technology is because there is a shortage of money in education and many schools lack the resources needed to effectively integrate technology. One other reason teachers probably do not use technology as much as they might like is the lack of time and professional development available to find out what resources are out there and how to use them.