Naja Argrow

February 19th, 2015

EDUC 323
Dr. Hicks
On Tuesday, February 17, 2015, Mr. David Kelly was invited to our classroom to speak
to us about different technologies we may incorporate into our classrooms as educators. To open
up, Mr. Kelly gave us an introduction to himself. He himself is an alumni of Claflin Universitys
class of 2011. He began teaching, and since then he has taught for three years and is now the
Digital Resource Coach at Brookdale Elementary School. I can see from his presentation Mr.
Kelly was a very interactive and fun teacher- something I aim to be.
Mr. Kelly asked us why should we as teachers integrate technology in our classrooms?,
I believe that we should because our society is becoming increasingly technology based every
day. His answer was more related to instruction which was everyone doesnt learn the same way
and if students are engaged they get at least something out of the lesson, which I agree with.
Getting and keeping the children in younger grades is a challenge because of their attention
spans.
Nearpod was the first technology that was presented by Mr. Kelly. Since all of the
students have iPads in District Five now, Nearpod is a presentation and testing program. Nearpod
is an excellent resource for teachers as a means of presenting information to teachers. Even as a
teacher, I would get bored with just using powerpoints all the time. This app brings the
presentation to the students and allows you to assess the students within this app. This is a free
resource and all of your data is stored on your account as well which is a plus. Also, since
students could be doing anything while they are supposed to be watching the presentation, there
is an indicator at the top which is green when all students are on the powerpoint, and turns red

when a student has clicked off of the powerpoint, which I believe is very important in keeping
students on task. To begin the presentation, the teacher writes the standards on the board and
pulls up the first slide. When the teacher changes the slides, the students slides change as well. I
believe there are pros and cons to this. After the presentation, the teacher can ask comprehension
questions while students answer individually on their iPad. After everyone has answered, the
data percentages of answers shows on both screens. Quizzes can also be given and while the test
is going on the teacher can see which number the students are on. I liked this program a lot
because it gives the students a lot of interaction with the lesson instead of the teacher calling on
some students, which gives everyone a chance to participate.
Kahoot was the next integrative technology. Kahoot is a free app that is like a timed test
game which really gets students in their competitive spirit. The teacher puts up one question at a
time and the students answer it by inputting the corresponding shape. The person who answers it
correctly in the least amount of time gets the most points. When everyone has answered or time
runs out, the correct answer is shown and the data of the question pops up. The data can be used
for the teacher to know if they need to reteach a specific part of a lesson which helps a lot. I
would use this technology as a review before a test. Even as college students, we really enjoyed
the game, so I can imagine how much the kids would enjoy it.
Compass Learning was the last integrative technology demonstrated. I have seen this
used in the classroom during my field experience. This technology has videos, questions, and
games for individual students. If a student answers a question right, the next one will be a harder
question, but if it is wrong, an easier question will be given. What I believe are the best parts of
Compass Learning is that it is aligned with Common Core State Standards, based off individuals
ability, and it is sorted by grade level and subject. When the teacher told the students they were

doing Compass Learning, they became excited and sung along with the opening songs. I would
use this technology as guided practice and maybe as assessment.