End of the Semester Entry
I learned that the integration of technology in an elementary setting has many benefits but also takes knowledge about safety and usage before being able to properly implement it into your lessons. I used the Smartboard for basically all of my lessons to give my students visual and written instruction. I found that having slides for students to refer to was essential and helpful. Furthermore, I found that implementing technology (for research) into my living systems unit was a great way to keep students engaged in the content!
How was your burning question answered?
My burning question was "At what age should we introduce technology to students?" I believe that my question was answered when I started my research project with my grade 2/3 class. Getting students exposed to the use of technology for educational purposes as early as possible is essential. It is important to first discuss the safety measures while using technology before allowing students to work on computers. My students first were introduced to how to type and then were able to explore different animals and their diet, habitat and appearance.
How did you contribute to the learning of others? What did you learn from others?
Attending weekly seminars was beneficial for me learning from others and getting the chance to share what I have learned with my peers. I learned from others that our experiences were unique and that some classroom management strategies that work well for others may not work in my class. Finding our teaching voice is something that my peers taught me and is something I will hold onto. Something that I taught my peers was a great website that can be used for animal research with young kids (natgeokids.com). Many of my peers were excited to hear about a useful website for students to use.
Wow Kiera! I am so impressed with how you have managed to implement technology and research in the classroom with such a young group of students. I personally found technology to be useful in my grade 5 classroom as well in social studies for a research project. I wonder how younger grades would respond to a similar type of activity involving technology.
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