EDTC401; Technology for Educators

Dana Jo Unruh
Field Log Journal
10/27/15
1. What standard did you observe?
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity - Engage
students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using
digital tools and resources

2. How did the teacher meet this standard? We were in a social studies lesson. The term
Quakers came up and the students were lost. The teacher then stopped the lesson that he
had planned. Hooked his computer up to the smart board and the class researched the
Quaker religion. This allowed the students to really grasp the topic and understand the
meaning of the learning text in front of them.
3. Was the lesson effective? Yes
How do you know? The students started asking questions about other groups of people
that they had been studying about in class. They were also talking about how awesome it
was to learn that in class.
4. What were the students doing in the lesson? The students were leading the investigative
process. The teacher was working the technology, but the students were posing the
questions to be searched and suggesting alternatives.
5. Were the students engaged, thinking critically, collaborating, and communicating? Many
of the students were blown away. We are a predominantly Catholic/Christian area. There
are very few families that are of other religions here.
6. Were there any changes you would make to the lesson? I would have had exploration
worksheets at the ready so if we came upon something like this we needed to study, the
students could record their investigation and findings.
7. What learning model do you think the teacher was using in his/her classroom? I feel that
his particular lesson exemplified the Constructivist Inquiry based model.
11/03/15
I chose to take a look at Raz-Kids. This is a leveled reading program that accelerates the book
levels as you student accelerates their reading level and passes the tests on the books. I really

like this system because it is secure and the teacher can still check in on the progress of their
students. I also really like this tool because they do not need to be in school to utilize it. This
can be accessed anywhere the kids have access to the internet as long as they have their user ID
and password.

Criteria

Rating Comments

Usability

This interactive reading program is easy to use. It has icons and

will say text if needed. Students can access this program
anywhere they have internet access. I like the audio option for
those who are below grade level, they can still work on
comprehension skills.

Cost

$99.00 for classroom with 9 -0 students. $85.00 for classrooms

with 10 or more students per year. In the grand scheme of
things this is not much money, but it certainly isn't free!

Instructional Worth

I would use this in the classroom as a supplement to the inclass work as well as for extra reading at home. Hundreds of
books are at their access anytime day or night.

Required Information

The school sets up the account so it is completely safe for the

child to access inside or outside of class.

Safety and Security

The tool is both username and password protected. Each

student has their own ID and password. The only person who
has access to the student accounts is the classroom teacher.

11/10/2015
Mrs. Alexis Geckler Technology director
1. What type of information do you communicate on the website? I post calendars, sports
schedules, contact information, club and organizational news, school resources, school
forms, Exceptional student achievement, superintendent news, county and town history
and events page, along with a couple of links to homework or extra practice pages.
2. What tool do you use to create your website? We hire it done by our internet provider.
3. Is the website geared towards parents, students or both? Explain. It is geared more
towards parents. There are a couple of links for students but not a lot of resources for the
students. Parents are usually the ones who need this information.
4. How often is your website updated? I have updated information on the website monthly.
5. Are there certain school/district requirements for classroom websites that you must
follow? No, there are no private class pages so this doesnt really pertain to us.

6. What do you do for families who do not have Internet access? This is our back-up for
parents with access. We mail hard copies of everything directly to the students home
address once a month also.
7. What elements of design do you think about/incorporate when creating/maintaining your
website? School spirit and accessibility for non-literate computer users.
8. Have you provided multiple means of presentation (e.g., video, audio, graphics) to
improve access for struggling readers or visual learners? Not on our website. We have a
contract with BOCES and this is part of that contract. We link to them and they provide
the specific special needs materials for a particular student.
9. Why is it important for teachers to have class websites? Well we dont have this. Many
of our teachers dont see the benefit of having or keeping one up and running. A couple
of them do have newsletters they send home, but for the most part we are really good
with communications for individual classrooms.
Additional Questions to ask the teacher regarding classroom communication:
Mrs. Heidi Marriott 1st grade teacher
1. When you communicate with parents, what is your preferred method of communication
Why? I prefer face to face or over the phone. This helps me to ensure there are not
misunderstandings. I may use a word they arent familiar with or may say something in
terms they dont understand. This allows me the chance to explain my thinking without
any further confusion or frustrations.
2. How often and in what format do you communicate with parents of students that have
additional needs (e.g., ALPs, ILPs, IEPs, RTI, Behavior plans) IEPs it depends on the
student, but usually they get their planner sent home every night for the parent to review,
read comments, sign and return. For Behavior Plans, we communicate the same as with
IEPs but the information relayed is different. If the student is doing well, I will send a
good behavior certificate or call the parents to tell them of the great week we had. I feel
it is as important to communicate the good as the bad.
3. How often and what method do you use to communicate student achievements to
parents? I relay achievements as they happen with certificates and small rewards like
pencils taped to papers.
4. What method do you use to communicate discipline issues to parents? It depends on the
discipline issue. If I need to make a phone call, the principal is aware of what is going
on. I again prefer to communicate in person or on the phone. If it is something like
missing homework, I will send a note home.
5. What situations would you call a parent instead of emailing? I dont email parents at all.
It is not a secure method of communication in my opinion. Email accounts get hacked

and opened by other people all the time. I would prefer to cover all bases and follow
FERPA to the letter to protect my students.
Newsletter Interview Questions:
1. What information do you communicate in the newsletter? How are week has gone, and
overview of the next week which includes spelling words, focus topics, special classes, if
there will be a substitute, at home activities, the next weeks school calendar, and
information for the schools website
2. How often do you publish your newsletter? My class newsletter goes out every Friday.
Occasionally if I have a sick student, they may not get the newsletter until the following
Monday.
3. Is your newsletter published digitally? Why or why not? No it isnt. Our school doesnt
have class webpages.
4. How do you ensure that all students and parents receive the newsletter? I send it home
with each student in their take home folders. Provided the parent checks their childs
papers coming home, everyone should receive one. I also post one on our school bulletin
board in the school, so if parents are here for other reasons, they can always check this to
see what is going on.
5. Why is it important for teachers to have classroom newsletters? It creates a line of
communication between the parents and the teacher. It allows the parents to be on the
same page with the teacher on classroom events and activities. It also acts as a means of
conversation between the parent and the child. Keeping everyone on the same page is
extremely important for seamless transitions between home and school life.
11/17/2015
1. the top three websites he/she uses for lesson planning and resources
a. pinterest.com
b. teacherspayteachers.com
c. theteacherscorner.net
2. the top three websites he/she uses for students.
a. Razkids.com
b. Youtube.com (brain break videos)
c. Funbrain.com
Be sure to ask the following questions:

1. What are your favorite teacher resources? I pull a lot of ideas off of pinterest, it is quick
and easy but I would have to say that teacherpayteacher is my favorite internet resource.
The resource I use the most is my colleagues though, we work together to come up with
new ideas or solutions to what we are facing on a daily basis.
2. What are your favorite student resources? I dont do an excess amount of computer time
with my students so the most they are on the computers at this age is for AR tests. I do
let them do razkids if we have extra time. I use youtube a lot for brain breaks and
movement for the kids. My favorite resource for my students would be our resource
teacher. She is amazing. She is always coming up with new ideas and methods.
3. What makes these resources stand out from others? What makes my favorite resources
standout to me is that I know and trust them. These people are my friends and my work
family. They care about my students as much I do. They have to, they will have my
students in the next couple years. We work as a team to get these kids where they need to
be for each other.
4. What do you use the teacher resources for? We have a curriculum for content, but I use
my resources for interventions, both educational and behavioral. I also use them for help
with lessons and closing the gaps any of my students may have.
5. How did you find the teacher resources? Well the resources that I use outside of my
colleagues, I found by referral. As you know teachers have teachers as friends and we
talk teacher stuff like this. It is nice to have conversations with people who understand
the challenges we face everyday.
6. How do you have students use the student resources? We send home a monthly letter for
Razkids.com to keep reminding parents of their ability to access it. I also include random
websites along with razkids and funbrain home in my weekly newsletters.
The students use Razkids when they have extra time just before the end of the day. They each
log into their own account and choose a book to read. If they are not at level they can have the
book read to them. Many people dont like this site because it can be used like a babysitter. That
is true of any site though. It is the teachers responsibility to make sure they are not abusing it by
allowing too much time or access during classroom learning times. This teacher does a good job
of policing the access. She walks back and forth as the students read their books. They have on
earphones, so I assume that the stories are being read to them. They are all also reading aloud
with the book. It is quiet distracting, but the students cannot hear each other so it doesnt bother
them. The other students who are not on the computers are reading independently at their desks
or in quiet corners. The noise of the readers at the computers should be a distraction, but it
doesnt seem to bother them.
11/24/2015
I wasnt surprised in seeing the grading sheet for this class. I have substituted several times in
this grade and it is pretty normal for this age group. I was very careful in asking to see the grade

book as this violates FERPA law. So I asked the teacher if she would mind showing me a blank
page and telling me how she set it up. She took the last page in her book and set it up for a
fictitious student. This teacher does both computer and grade book. She says that it is smart to
have a backup you never know when technology will fail you.

What does this tool assess? The key I gave you assesses a Benchmark test that I
administered earlier this week. It is fairly cut and dried.

How does the teacher use this assessment tool? (formative, summative) This is a
summative assessment for the entire reading unit.

Does this assessment tool use technology? No it does not, it is a paper key that is also
graded by hand. The test is likewise paper.

Is the grade book digital? Ask the teacher why or why not? She uses both. The district
requires her to input her grades electronically but she also keeps a paper grade-book as a
backup for her.

Do you think making the assessment tool digital would be beneficial, why or why not? At
this age group I am not sure if it would be more of an asset or a liability. These little guys
are not very tech savvy.

How could you integrate technology into the assessment tool? You could use a web tool
that aides in this. This test assesses knowledge of reading comprehension, first, last,
middle sounds as well as high frequency words. I think that adding the stories into digital
form would be better for students who were needing differentiation.

How could integrating technology impact the results of the assessment? I think it would
allow students to work at their own pace more than working at the teachers pace.

12/01/2015
Interview of the SPED Coordinator Ms. Harms

What is the digital divide? Well we dont call it that here, but I would say that this is the
term that represents the difference in the amount of technology we possess vs. the
demand we have for this technology.

Is a digital divide occurring in this school? Explain. No, We are fully supported between
extra funding our community has voted on to help support this and grants that our school
has been awarded.

Do all students have access to technology? Explain. Yes, every students has access to
technology in this school. We also have a check out program with the laptops, kindles,
iPods, and each student from the fifth grade down have minis that are theirs for the year.

Are all students in the school given equal access to technology? No, each student has
access, but ESL and SPED students have more exposure on a per pupil basis.

Are the some groups/grades/populations that have more or less access? The Junior High
has more class time with computers than the other schools. The elementary has one
computer class each week for each and every class. The high school students take these
courses at their will.

Do all teachers in the building use technology effectively? No they dont. We have a
couple of teachers who are technologically illiterate. We need more ongoing training on
how to use these technologies and how to incorporate them into our classes seamlessly.

What technology does the SpEd/ESL teacher use with their students? I use Laptops,
iPads, Document cameras and desktop computers with apps like Zoom.

How can educators help to level the playing field? We can level the playing field by
receiving more trainings and opening our minds to the changes our careers have made. If
we do this it will provide students with more opportunities for integrated learning in the
regular classroom setting.