Teaching with Technology

Technology is the world of our students. Elementary students have the  ability to read books without turning a single page, search instantly any  thought they may have and get several if not hundreds of possible responses, and  can instantly watch videos of other teachers teaching the same concepts they are  learning at school on with the click of a few keys and a mouse. Technology  has embedded itself into all of our lives and to teach without using it leads  students feeling disconnected in the learning process. I am not saying  that teachers must use technology, and I am not saying that learning can only  happen with technology. I am saying that technology enhances the learning  environment and helps teachers to design lessons that can produce instantaneous  formative assessment feedback, videos created by students or teachers, and  interactive games.

Technology is a tool to enhance the learning  experience, it cannot replace teaching. The technology I use in class give  me the flexibility to instantly show student work to the entire class through
the use of a document camera. I can also obtain instantaneous formative  feedback by using a student response system during class. This data will  how me how well my students understand the material from a previous lesson or on  the lesson minutes after teaching it. The last technology I use daily is
the Smart Board and Smart Slate. This interactive white board has many  great tools and enhances my math lessons, but it also allows me to export my  notes into a PowerPoint or Adobe format giving me the opportunity to upload my  notes to my teacher website on a daily basis. Therefore, teachers should  embrace the use of technology because it allows teachers to obtain instant
feedback from formative assessments as well as gives them a chance to digitally
save notes.

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