Observation 5

For my final observation, I was in a second grade classroom. The students had just gotten into class and the teacher had the lunch menu on the smartboard. The students went up and put a tally mark down for the lunch that they wanted to eat that day. This was a very easy way to take lunch count. Once all the students were in the room, the teacher tallied up the marks and sent lunch count in from her computer. Great way to incorportate technology into a morning routine.

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Poll Everywhere

Observation 4

I had the pleasure of watching a classroom that contained a big variety of students. They ranged in ethnic diversity, academic level, and also in the level of how much english they speak. This teacher had seven students speak English as a second language. Two of these students had just transferred to the school recently and barely spoke any English at all! The teacher used this as a great way to incorporate technology by placing the students on the computer. They used a program that let them interact with the story they read. The two girls chose the language as Spanish and read the story in their native language. The story was also interactive and they had to click on each word in order to hear it through the headphones. As they were reading they were also clicking on the words and going at their own pace instead of trying to follow along with the text themselves. This not only helped them to feel comfortable but also gave them the opportunity to use a computer and new technology to help them learn!

Observation 3

My third observation uses technology in a different way. Instead of using technology for the purpose of students enjoying it, the teacher uses technology to aid in her own use in her kindergarten class. The teacher was testing her students on their Dibbles. She had to check them on different kinds of words including nonsense words. Instead of writing down scores in a grade book, she used a Palm device to record the scores. This handheld device uses a program where everything is already programmed in and all the teacher has to do is record the words recognized and the device calculates whether they are on grade level or not. So easy! I was excited to see something that a teacher can use for his/her own benefit other than a computer to keep records on. This allows the teacher to test the students wherever in the classroom and not be tethered to a computer. The Palm device was very compact and had everything the teacher needed to keep data on her students and save it for the entire year.

Observation 2

For my second technology observation the teacher also used the smart board! Like I said before, it is a great and easy way to incorporate more than text books into the classroom. The teacher opened up a document on the screen about idioms. Students were called on to draw lines matching an idiom to its proper definition. Students volunteered to go up to the board even if they didn't have a clue about the word, just because they got to draw with the "imaginary pen". After this, the student had their own little book and also followed along with the story on the board. The teacher used her document camera to display her own story book. After the story was read, the students again went up to the board and answered the same question about the idioms as a post-test to see what they had learned.

This lesson was extremely fun and got the students more involved than if each read the story and did the activity on their own at their seats. I had a great time observing and really thought the teacher did a great job of using her smart board and document camera!

Observation 1

For my first technology observation I had the opportunity to observe a second grade classroom. When I walked into the classroom the teacher had many ways to use technology in her classroom. She had computers, a television, a smart board, and a document camera. For the lesson, she was using the smart board for her reading lesson. The students didn't have a copy of the book at their desk so they followed along on the screen.

This is a great way to incorporate technology and being resourceful. Instead of printing off tons of copies of a story and wasting paper, a teacher can put the story on the board and have students follow along with out making unnecessary copies that get lost in backpacks and thrown away. The book that the teacher was using also had an activity sheet at the end. Students were called on to go up to the board and circle the correct answer following the story. Using a smart board in the classroom is an easy way for students to get to use technology, have fun, and still learn!