Technology Use in Classroooms

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As a teacher I believe technology is a tool that can be used in classrooms effectively. In the past I have used overheads, blackboards, calculators, videos, video cameras, Microsoft Media Player, calculators, Photoshop, Microsoft Word, Producer, PowerPoint, e-mail with other students, graphics, Google Sketch Up, and other web applications.

I believe technology should be used to enhance education. It should supplement a lesson plan
to make the lesson plan come alive. I also think it is a great tool for students to express their learning through an active presentation to teach others what they have learned. When we tell others what we learned it is very powerful. However, more powerful is when we actually teach someone else.

I think students should be involved in developing their own assessment. They should be encouraged to share what they learn and teach others what they think is important. For instance in Texas we have the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills elements known as TEKS.

Here is an example 7th Grade Social Studies TEK
( History. The student understands individuals, issues, and events of the Civil War. The student is expected to:

(A) explain the roles played by significant individuals during the Civil War, including Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Abraham Lincoln;

What were the roles of these men? How could multimedia and technology allow someone to explain the significant roles they played? We could have a video where we interview teachers and principals on what role they think these people played. We could do research and provide a comparison table on contributions they made. We could draw pictures and illustrate a flipbook that shows what they did. There are scores of ways to show how these individuals were significant. The key is that technology allows the student motivation to show what they know in a non-traditional way then a multiple question paper and pencil test.

I would love to have students produce these types of self-assessments using rubrics. Currently, I work as a teacher working with students that are in trouble. The assignments the students receive are usually worksheets with fill in the blanks. I have yet to see the use of technology to motivate students to research.

In my humble opinion I think that is what we, as teachers, should be doing. For instance, what good is an adjective, preposition, or verb. Have students show through examples how these can be used most effectively. For example, something short was Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be, that is the question.” What does that mean and why was it so profound?

Thanks for listening,

Michael Leyba

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