Reflection

 

This class has been incredibly beneficial to me as a new teacher. I have been challenged to not only think about about how technology can affect education, but how I can personally build a classroom that benefits from all that it offers. I was specifically challenged to think through what my classroom strategy for technology will look like. Before this class, I didn’t realize the importance of developing a plan. In order to develop a plan, it is essential that I do thorough research and keep up to date with the latest trends. This will take intentional effort and time on my part, but it is an important part of developing as a teacher. I also found that other teachers are some of the best resources in the journey of growing. Roblyer and Hughes say, “To make the teaching profession stronger and create even more possibilities for student learning, teachers can lead and collaborate to create positive, strategic, and critical changes within education” (Roblyer et. al., 2018, p. 79). Some of the most interesting things I learned were from the other teachers I interviewed. I need to surround myself with a community of teachers who can mentor and walk alongside me. Proverbs 1:5 says, “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance” (Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible, NIV, 1990). While technology integration in the classroom can seem daunting, I know that finding the best ways to educate and prepare my students for the world they are entering is what the Lord has called me to.

Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible, New International Version. (1990). B.B. Kirkbride

 Bible Co.

Roblyer, M., & Hughes, J. (2018). Integrating educational technology into teaching (8th ed.).

Pearson Education.

Technology Trends Infographic

 

Assistive Technology

 

Preschool is an interesting and unique time for creating a classroom design that meets the needs of all students. Children enter those early years of school with a wide range of skills, strengths, and weaknesses. Cognitive, speech, sensory, and motor skill delays have often not even been diagnosed at this point. Creating a classroom that can adapt to each child’s needs can be challenging and require a bit of patience. Roblyer and Hughes argue that, “for a person with a disability, technologies transform lives because they make living and learning richer” (Roblyer et al.,2018, p. 308). 

Technology provides a unique opportunity to engage many of my students who need a little more assistance in some of these areas. For my class we primarily use the iPad and audiobooks as supplemental technology. If the student struggles with fine motor skills, many of the writing exercises can become frustrating and overwhelming. The Ipad allows the child to trace letters, numbers, and shapes without feeling frustrated by the challenges of fine motor skills. For my students who struggle with speech, the audio and visual aspects of various learning apps provide additional literacy and language support. And for my students with sensory struggles, I find that they are able to focus on learning games on the Ipad much better than some of the larger classroom activities. Audiobooks are an engaging source of learning where earphones can block out a lot of the outside noises that can become overwhelming and distracting.

There are so many apps geared for individual student needs. Edutopia has some great lists for these technologies, but also reminds readers that, “as with any tool, what may work wonders for some students, will only frustrate others” (Jane, 2020). I have seen this with my preschoolers and know that finding the right technology for the student can take some time and effort.

Clare, Jayne. (2020, March 20). Apps for students with special needs- as school buildings shutter. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/apps-students-special-needs-school-buildings-shutter

Roblyer, M., & Hughes, J. (2018). Integrating educational technology into teaching (8th ed.). Pearson Education.

Web-Based Assessment Assignment

 

Technology Lesson Demonstration

After reviewing several articles on top programs to use in the preschool classroom, I decided to try integrating the Khan Academy Kids app. The program has two main components. A personal learning track covers a wide range of competencies and becomes more challenging as students work through age-appropriate curriculum. This was easy for students to navigate on their own and needed limited teacher assistance. The second component is a library where learning activities are divided up among subject and difficulty level. This was beneficial in implementing a specific supplement to a lesson. It required more teacher interaction to navigate. The program is engaging and simple to use. The students enjoyed the visuals, audio, and rewards system. It was a beneficial addition to our reinforcement of counting during our number review week. 

Gaming

 

Roblyer and Hughes challenge educators to think through the benefits and challenges of educational gaming in the classroom. Games can provide benefits such as collaborative learning, motivation, and problem-based learning. But it can also take some effort to address the challenges of aligning the games appropriately with curriculum, balancing learning and having fun, and ensuring correspondence between game and learning objectives (Roblyer et al., 2018, p. 179-181). Preschool is a great setting to integrate online, educational gaming. Incorporating simple phonics and number skills into a game is an easy way to engage multiple senses – auditory, kinesthetic, and visual. There are several apps I like to use with preschoolers. ABCMouse.com is a comprehensive online program that includes a wide variety of games. In one study on the effect of the ABCMouse program on academic scores of PreK and Kindergarten students, researchers found that literacy and math gains were significant as compared to those with less access to the program (Thai et al., 2016, p. 1-29). Other, simpler apps like Alphabet Aquarium focus in on specific skills. The lessons are simple and need no assistance from the teacher. The student receives auditory and visual “rewards” as they work their way through letter focused puzzles and skills. Games such as Mr. Potato Head: School Rush allow the kids to problem solve building a potato head in a variety of scenarios. This helps to reinforce their understanding of body parts and emotions, an important aspect of early education. While both the teachers and the students can enjoy gaming opportunities in the classroom, we need to be careful to avoid eating up time with this supplemental resource. It should be relevant to the curriculum and students’ needs. Care should be taken with selection and execution of gaming in the classroom. 

Roblyer, M., & Hughes, J. (2018). Integrating educational technology into teaching (8th ed.). Pearson Education. 

Thai, K., Ponciano L. (2016). Improving outcomes for at-risk prekindergarten and kindergarten students with a digital learning resource. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk. 7(2), 1-29. http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7/iss2/8

Professional Development

Professional Development from GrantWaller2