Reflection Time

The end of my technology class is almost here.  It’s time to reflect on what I’ve learned and what I’m going to do with that knowledge.  One thing I have learned from this course is that technology is important and it is going to be a HUGE part of all my students’ futures; therefore, I must integrate it into my classroom.  I learned about a website called Delicious during my last class.  This is a website for sharing links to other websites.  I am always coming across great websites, whether it’s when I am searching for lesson activity ideas, or when my daughter is playing games.  Often I send or receive emails about ‘great sites’.  So, reflecting on what my plan of action for integrating technology will be, I think the first step could be as simple as setting up my fellow first grade teachers with a Delicious account.  Then, moving on and helping the second and third grade teachers as well.  If all the staff in my elementary building had a delicious account, sharing technology would be a breeze and having sites readily available would make it easier to actually integrate technology in the classroom.

Is Time on Your Side?

Trying to incorporate technology into my classroom has been an exciting process.  However, time has been NOT been on my side!   There are so many wonderful websites to explore, but finding the time to choose activities to fit the skills I am teaching has been a challenge.  I think one thing I can do to alleviate this challenge is to start with just one or two really great sites.  Once I narrow done the millions of sites to just two, I can then focus on planning lessons to incorporate technology into my classroom.

Reflecting on the Technology in My Life

Technology is all around us, from the self-debit/credit card slider at the store to the cell phone in our purse.  Have you ever thought about how much technology you use every single day… and how much you depend on it!?  I remember surviving high school without Facebook and my college years of traveling 40 minutes to campus without a cellphone.  YIKES!  How did I survive!?  Well, I did and we would probably all would be okay without so much technology, but the fact is, we DO depend on it and it DOES make our lives and jobs easier. 

Looking at my classroom and school, I rely on my email, Microsoft Office, SmartBoard, and even the simple tape player every day!  I use my computer for sending my attendance to the office, making activities, lesson planning, and for recording grades.  I depend on my SmartBoard to work so that my students can record their lunch choice in the morning and complete their workstation activities in the afternoon.  When one of these pieces of technology is out of commission, I feel lost! 

One tool I would like to learn more about and use is Microsoft Excel.  I’ll admit that I don’t know how to make a spreadsheet efficiently.  It would be a great tool to use for organizing many things in my room.  We need to learn a little every day, so I am going to look at the Microsoft Office website and search how to use Excel.  I think it would make my job a little easier; I would use it to keep track of homework. 

Take a step back and think about how much technology you use in your profession and life? Is there some kind of technology that could make your job or life even easier?  Step up and try it out.  Technology is great!