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Getting Started
I started teaching in 2014 at the same school I am at today. Unit 5 is a lucky district because our students are able to have 1-to-1 devices. This means every student has their own laptop so they can access a variety of technology. This allowed me to use a lot of technology in my classroom, but over time I have worked to expand not just my use of technology, but my students' use as well. This is a picture of my classroom from my first year of teaching which shows some of the technology I use. -
Technology Basics
Right from the get-go I tried to use a variety of technology. For example, in math my students used XtraMath, IXL, played online math games, and more. In Language Arts, they used Google Docs and Slides to write and create papers and projects. For me, I would have been lost without my SMART board and SMART notebook. However, even with all this technology, I felt that I could continue to push my technology usage both for myself and my students. -
Changes in Technology
Looking to the next school year, we were told that the students would no longer have access to Microsoft programs (Word, PPT, etc). This forced me and many other teachers to think about other sources of technology. This is when Google became a huge part of my technology use. -
Google Rules All
At the start of my 2nd year of teaching, one of the newest technologies being used was Google Classroom. I LOVE this resource because it is so user friendly for both me and the students. They can access so much information in such a quick and easy way. Everything is in one place and it allows students to interact with one another as well. This also lead to more use of Google Docs, Slides and other Google Applications. -
Font Snob
Another piece of technology that I was introduced to was fonts. I know this may not seem that significant, but for a teacher who has to create a lot of her own worksheets, lessons, etc. this opened up a whole new world for me. My new team at this time showed me how to download fonts and I became obsessed! I regularly download new fonts so I can make my materials as appealing as possible. I can only hope my students appreciate my font selections as much as I do. -
Interactive Tools
Another new piece of technology I began using this year was Quizlet. This website allows you to create study sets and offers a variety of ways to study the material. I used it to help my students practice their vocabulary. The site offers flashcards, audio interaction, practice tests, but the students' favorites are the games. They have fast pace games the students can play where they can compete with one another to beat the highest score. They really enjoy this way of studying. -
Lucidpress
Each year my students create feature articles as their writing project for their informative unit. However, it is difficult to really make a paper look like a true feature article if one just uses a Google Doc. The technology coach at our school showed me a new piece of technology called Lucidpress which is a Google application or add-on that helps create articles. This app allows one to format paragraphs and text features in a way that looks like an actual feature article. -
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Continuing My Technology Usage
As I think about my 3rd & 4th years of teaching I can see how I have added technology into my classroom. Whether it be learning and implementing a new website like Kahoot or allowing students to work more independently through posts on Google Classroom I realize how much more I can do with technology. My goal for the future is to broaden my technology resources and allow my students more opportunities to create using these technologies in class. Ultimately I think that is the point! -
New Technology
During the course of this class I have been introduced to several new technology resources. I used Timetoast for this timeline, I used Thinglink for my Paradigm of Learning and for my multimedia project. I have also heard of many other technology resources from my peers that I plan on using in my classroom. I look forward to implementing these tech resources as well as learning about others.
