Technology is an ever-changing resource for teachers.

Looking back at the technology available when I was a child and the advances it has made is unbelievable. Using technology in the classroom will help in my goal of being a life long learner. Every time a new form of technology is developed for the classroom it is my job to begin to learn how it works and how it will benefit my students. Learning about technology advances can be challenging and places me out of my comfort zone at times, something my students will feel in my classroom each day. Learning how to operate new technology will keep me up to date on what students use at home and remind me what it is like to be unfamiliar with something. Battle Creek Elementary school is very fortunate because they were given the most up to date technology for each classroom. This means each classroom is fully equipped with a Smartboard, document camera, a teachers laptop, and a set of six student computers. Actively Engage Students: The technology at Battle Creek is very useful when teaching thirty-three students. I used the document camera to project documents onto the Smartboard. This was great because I was able to model what it would look like to complete the activity sheets and writing performance tasks for students each day. When I was done demonstrating but I still wanted the document that I am working on to be displayed in the front of the class I would hit the freeze button. This allowed me to take the example I created and give it to an ELL student who needed the document

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

Page 25

to be sitting next to them while working. Before the document camera was created ELL or visually impaired students had to move up to the carpet area. Sitting on the carpet can be embarrassing, I was able to eliminate any form of embaressesment by getting to know my students and simply freezing the screen and moving my sheet to their desk. The Smartboard was also a huge asset throughout my lessons. Each day the students practiced saying and identifying the defining attributes of a shape by singing and dancing to a video on YouTube. I pulled up the Youtubve videos each day on Cindy Tuttles computer and was able to display it on the Smartboard so all students could see and interact with the video. This also helped with management issues that sometimes occurred during the video. Instead of having to stay by the computer to hit play, pause, or stop I was able to stand in front of the class and use the Smartbaord. This was useful because I did not have to be standing behind the teachers desk, which is far away, I could stand in front of the carpet and see the whole class as we learned and discusses the lyrics in the song. Behind the desk I am not able to see each of the students faces but while standing in front of the classroom I can make eye contact with each student and if needed display my teacher look. Another way I used technology during this unit was through the six student computers available in each classroom. During math workshop, students used the computer to manipulate shapes on MS_Shapes an online game developed for young children. Through MS_Shapes students practiced placing shapes into patterns. They could also hammer a shape, which would break the shape into smaller shapes. This Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014 Page 26

helped students understand that a hexagon can also be created through six triangles. The computer stations were most of the students favorite; they each looked forward to being placed at the computers. I believe having computers in the classroom is a huge asset because it increases student engagement. Another way I used technology in the classroom was by letting the students interact with the SmartBoard during instructional time. I developed a mini-lesson where their job was to come up to the board and organize shapes into small piles based off of their defining attributes. I planned this lesson because I believed it would have engaged the students and kept their attention for a longer period of time. However, the students only interaction with the SmartBoard before this minilesson was during morning when they sing-in. During this time each student walks up to the board and signs in alone and then sit back down in their seats. It was not engaging for first grade students with short intention spans to watch a peer of theirs interact with the SmartBoard. It was also the last hour of the day on a Friday, which may have caused the distractions and disengagment. I am not done trying to create and use the SmartBoard for mini-lessons. Before I would do this again I would fill out an expectation chart about what the student and teacher should be doing when we are using the SmartBoard. Professionally Plan: Technology is a huge resource for planning, implementing, and monitoring or assessing students learning. I used my computer to plan each lesson. I also used other teachers websites, blogs, and advice for creating this unit. The Internet has an infinite amount of information on it so it was important I made decisions that fit Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014 Page 27

the classroom I was teaching. When planning a lesson that involved students going on a Shape Hunt through text, I utilized the Salem-Keizer Public Library website to browse through books and put them on hold. This was very helpful because it minimized the time I had to spend at the public library finding books. While assessing students pre and post assessments I used Google Excel to create graphs, charts, and a spreadsheet of information. This way I was able to organize and collect information and store it in one place. Once the assessment data of students was collected I was able to use Google Excel to create graphs and charts that were meaningful and easy to interpret. Through analyzing my data I was able to identify the factors that influenced the students learning: absences, gender, and language development were the three things I specifically looked at. Without technology; planning, implementing, and monitoring the process of this unit would have been increasingly more difficult. I am fortunate that I have so many resources available to me today, and hope to continually learn how to utilize technology each year. Through my continual educational development of technology I will be able to find new ways to assess, plan, and create lesson for my students that will engage them and make my life easier. It is imperative to use my time wisely as a teacher and aspects of technology can safe me a lot of time. Challenges: Since I did not grow up with Smartboards or document cameras I was unfamiliar with how they operate. When I first began to teach I struggled turning on the document camera and switching it from computer to projection mode. This was a challenge I needed to overcome if I was going to be teaching these students and Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014 Page 28

creating naturally flowing lessons. I was given a few lessons from Cindy Tuttle and Jeff Battle Creeks technology expert on how to operate and create Smart NootBook lessons. By the end of the unit I could confidently say I can work the Smartboard and create interactive lesson on Smart Notebook. Not having access to the Smarboard application at home to plan and pre-create lessons was a little stressful. This meant a few days before teaching a lesson either before or after school I needed to use Cindys computer to create the slides on Smart Notebook that I would be using. Supports: There are many supports available to teachers as they implement technology into the classroom. Colleagues, professional development conferences, and the technology staff of Salem-Keizer are all people that are available to give additional support. I attended the OTEN conference on September 18th, 2013 at Pacific University, and watched a demonstration on how to implement the Smartboard into the classroom for early childhood classrooms. During this conference I learned about the program that is used to create Smartboard PowerPoints where students can come to the board and manipulate fractions, underline words, or move around shapes and objects for adding and subtracting. This was an excellent way to learn how to utilize Smartboards in the classroom. Technology is currently a huge source of entertainment for children; if I can channel some of their excitement for technology into learning I believe I have become a successful teacher.

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

Page 29