Technology - Week 1

What did you learn this week that you will use immediately in your classroom? What steps will you take to implement this in your classroom? What challenge(s) will you face when using this in your classroom? What will you do to overcome the challenge(s)?

The classroom is a different place than when I was younger.  In fact it is bit of sensory overload to enter a classroom or look at all of the options I have as an educator.  IT is so exciting to have a smartboard, computers, laptops, talking pens, kindles, blogs, web pages, and more.  Is it too much?  How can I implement it all without overloading the students?  How can I possibly use all of the cool things I have access to and not lose the content? 

I have been a Special Education Teacher for 47 days.  With each day I get so excited about what is available.  I am like a little kid at Christmas.  I open one thing and get excited, play with it for a minute and open the next cool thing.  While I am learning how to "play" with one thing, there is a PD opportunity for something else.  I have to try and take a deep breath and work with one thing at a time.  I notice that in many classrooms.  Technology projects seem to get started and stall while we check out the new thing.

Technology can be expensive.  As a grant writer I am eager to use my talent in the classroom to find resources.  I will truly see what kids like and benefit from. 

The new technology isn't new to the kids.  I may be learning about something that the kids already know how to use.  I find that kids still like the basic activities and are not always that impressed with the technology.  I do understand the responsibility I have to use technology in the classroom.  It is a new world.  Our future is with technology.  As I look in a classroom and see a kid struggling to write cursive I wonder if he should even have to.  What will ever be required of him to write in cursive other than his name?  I need to be realisitc and purposeful as an educator and I need to make sure that when I use technology it is linked to core content and to what will really be relevant and functional.