Technology in the classroom?
Chances are you have (or will have) a computer(s), in your classroom even if you don’t have a working stapler or whole puncher.
Is that computer or computers being utilized to its potential? Teachtopia has examined "the 9 ways computers are used" .......
1. Teacher organizer (student grades, attendance, filing work samples, portfolios)
2. Whole class content presenter (Powerpoint, Google Slides, slideshow of images, webpages)
3. Document Creator for Teacher (Word, Word Online, Google Docs, LibreOffice)
4. Document Creator for Students (Word, Word Online, Google Docs and LibreOffice)
5. Research Tool for Students (online encyclopedias, internet via Google,)
6. Research Tool for Teacher (finding lesson plans, teaching ideas, subject matter content)
7. Student Project Creation (Powerpoints, HTML)
8. Teaching Computer Centric Skills (Computer Programming, Webquests, Networking and Hardware )
9. Self Contained Learning Laboratory (Cluefinders, Mavis Beacon, Jumpstart)
A Few Questions to Ponder
•Which of the above do you currently use (or plan to use) in the classroom?
•What barriers do you have preventing you from using 1-9 above? (hardware, teacher training, classroom management, disinterest)
Here are some answers/solutions to your technology needs:
For Software: There is software that is released by the Open Source Movement that is free of charge such as a Microsoft Office substitute known as LibreOffice that is available for download at LibreOffice.org
For Hardware: Computers are no longer expensive. We have found some affordable laptops for only a few hundred dollars that are feasible for classroom or teacher use for just a few hundred dollars.
One laptop choice -->
