The class that I normally observe was on a field trip today so instead I observed in another 3rd grade classroom. This classroom is known as the technology guinea pigs. This classroom is equipt with 3 computers and enough laptops for the rest of the students to have one each. Today they were learning how to create a 5 page power point of how a volcano erupts; adding sentances of information to each. The program they were using was called Kid Pixs.
I believe this program is a great way for the students to have fun with the program while learning how to apply technology to their everyday lives, in bother reading and writing. The students can even use this program to create stories with pictures that they find or they create. On the other hand, nothing beats a pencil and paper with the system crashes or files get lost. So my question to you is this: How do you feel about integrating technology into the classroom when it comes to reading and writing? Do you think it is a good idea for each student to be able to access thier own laptop? Last, what would you do, as a teacher, if technology is required in your lessons but, you have a parent that refuses to let thier child use it?
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I think that technology is an excellent resource within the classroom. To have the ability for each and every child to have access to his/her own computer within the classroom is an amazing privilege. However, as with anything, there are pros and cons to this resource.
The assignment discussed was interesting, and of some value when it comes to research and presentations. I do however worry that if computers are utilized too much, students will forget how to properly write. Penmanship will falter, and punctuation and grammar may be forgotten altogether-due to word processors automatically fixing mistakes in these areas.
Being as we are in a technological age, reading could be of value if practiced from a computer screen, power point projector or projector-but only if this is done along with traditional reading from books and tangible written text. Writing, as mentioned before if a difficult area, typing can help students get thoughts into text faster (provided adequate typing ability), however as I already mentioned, this could cause drastic downfalls in other essential areas in regards to the mechanics of writing.
In all, computers within the classroom, are to me a wonderful resource, if used properly, in connection with traditional reading and writing methods.
The school I am doing my practicum right now is set up on pods, with computers in a great room in the center of each pod. Teachers are required to spend 40 minutes a day doing "SuccessMaker" or time on the computers. I think the concept of integrating technology is great. It is something that should be done. However, at the school I am at they just assign a kid to a computer and the work on their own either doing Readers Adventures, Accelerated Reader, Reader's Workshop, Word Builder, Math activites, etc. While I'm sure that they gain some knowledge from doing this, it seems to me it should be more structured and that there is a lot more ways they could be incorporating technology for benefit besides just assigning them to a computer and letting them do their own thing.
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