What is the biggest challenge that you have faced while using technology in the classroom?
Access for sure... Sometimes you hear about wonderful things you could do but we don't have them in schools yet, or there is a limited amount. Also, connection issues with school servers.
What is your favorite activity to do while using technology?
Virtual trips! I use them when studying the regions of the US... We did a lot of live camera visits. There are so many across the US that are great for students! Ex... Yellowstone National Park!
Do you have your students follow a lesson on paper as you go through it maybe on a projector? What are your expectations while this is happening and what is the overall outcome?
Sometimes, so that they can actively take notes. My expectation would be that they are focused- actively participating, writing or discussing as a class.
What is the best advice you can give to me, as a new teacher, for the best results while using technology?
Explore and play with things on your own. There are so many resources available... Find the ones you connect with and learn how to use them before introducing them to your class.
How do you use technology in your classroom? How do the students use technology in and out of the classroom?
Word processing, virtual trips, blogging, communication with parents etc... Students use it the same way.
How do you incorporate the technology effectively in your classroom if some students are unable to access resources?
This can be difficult. I will sometimes bring my own resources from home. Or, I will teach about it, without having it there, recommending they explore something from home.
Have you found the use of blogs or other social media to be beneficial as far as parent involvement is concerned? Are there ways to involve parents using technology that will benefit the students and the classroom as a whole?
Yes! I think having a blog and teacher/student/parent web site is a wonderful tool for collaboration with families. Parents and students can access class info, websites for further learning, email, school links and see blogging topics from class.
What is your least favorite way to integrate technology in the classroom?
Not being able to have enough time to practice with it.
What is the hardest piece of technology for you to implement in the class?
Believe it or not, word processing... Not enough computer access to have students working at the same time.
Are there times when you feel that your children know more about technology than you do?
Not yet...I'm sure I will!
How has technology enhanced your teaching ability?
Quicker access to anything we are studying... Even those teachable moments you don't plan for.
Has there been a positive or negative effect using technology in the classroom?
Positive
What are the benefits of using technology in the classroom?
Students are able to explore even more resources for their learning and discoveries... IF they are taught properly how to use them.
What is your favorite way to integrate technology in the classroom?
Having students explore something they haven't experienced before... Usually whole group, then playing with it on their own.
How do you think that the special needs students fit into the model of collaborative problem solving?
They often offer a different perspective. This is a great teaching experience for students and teachers.
Where do you derive your inspiration from? What are your top 3 resource picks?
My students and their curiosities! Teachers Pay Teachers, Beth newingham/scholastic and Pinterest!
My Thoughts...
I interviewed Marisa Keshigian who was a 3rd grade teacher last year, at the school I work at, Hampstead Central School. I had so many questions and didn’t know where to start. I was really curious about how she uses technology in her classroom and how the students respond to it. I was also looking for some advice that I can take with me as I become a classroom teacher. Marisa was extremely helpful and very patient with me as we chatted about different subjects. She is definitely a person that I will be able to look to for guidance when I am a teacher.
During the school year she used technology in a lot of different ways such as, blogging, parent communication, whether it was through email or the class website and virtual learning. The blog was a place where the students could go to bounce ideas off of their classmates and where she could get a better understanding on how each of them were thinking about a certain topic. Marisa has a lot of experience with using technology in her classroom for projects as well. I really liked when she explained how she uses it for her unit on the regions of the US. She does it virtually, using sites that have live cameras set up at the Yellowstone National Park so students can have a live view instead of just seeing it in a book.
I learned a lot from interviewing her and she gave me some sites that may be helpful for me to use in my future classroom. Her biggest suggestion was to play around with the piece of technology before introducing it to the class because it is beneficial as a teacher to understand what you are presenting. I hope that learning more about technology as I continue my Masters degree, will help me become a better teacher and really become the teacher that I want to be.
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