The district in which I teach has provided me with several opportunities to integrate technology in my classroom. When I look back over my first 8 years of teaching, I feel very fortunate to be in such a district. In my classroom I have used a Smartboard, document cameras, individual response systems (or clickers), and most recently iPads. Last year I received a grant from our district that gave me 15 iPads, for a 2:1 student to tablet ratio. The use of iPads in 3rd grade has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for my students. I feel like the handheld technology I use in my classroom makes any lesson more engaging and allows me to create more authentic, project-based learning opportunities for my students.
One place I want to go with technology in my classroom was mentioned in the NMC Horizons Report 2013 K-12 Edition. I am very interested in using technology to help students track their own data and use learning analytics. Last year, I focused on having students track their test scores and set goals for future assessments. This strategy proved useful in motivating students and helping them to understand what they know and what they need to learn. The websites, like Kno Me, mentioned in the Horizons report are intriguing because they can deliver personalized information to each student about their tendencies in each subject. I believe there is a great deal of power in having students analyze their learning, and technology might just make this easier and more detailed than ever before.
In addition to tracking data, there are other activities and characteristics I strive to achieve in my 21st century classroom. I believe our classrooms today must be learner-centered. It is important for students to be both teachers and learners. Technology enables students to design their own learning opportunities and even present them to others, as seen with the students creating games in the PBS video. I also believe that activities in today's classroom must be authentic. Students need more practice with the technology and types of problems that they will face in the real world. One way I have implemented this is by giving more open-ended word problems in math. Instead of giving students all the information they need to solve a problem, I simply ask a question like, "How many addition facts can you solve during math class?" Students then have to generate their own questions, collect data, analyze the problem, and apply a strategy to solve it. Another important element in a 21st century classroom is exposure to a variety of technologies and digital tools. We don't want our students to rely on just one tool, they need to be able to analyze all that is available and choose the correct digital tool for the job.
The environment I strive to create in my classroom is a community of teachers and learners. I feel it is important in this technology driven age that students still learn the importance of human interaction and interdependence. Our class has three sayings that I either re-phrased or stole from professional development sessions I attended. The first, and most important to me, is "None of us is as smart as all of us." We learn best when we work together and rely on the knowledge of the group as a whole. The second is "We are all teachers and learners." Students can use digital and traditional tools to create presentations and become the instructor. Sometimes, my third graders can explain concepts to each other better than I can because they use terms and language their peers understand. The final saying that drives our classroom environment is "Successful learners have a reason for everything they say, think, and do." In the 21st century, successful people will be those who can analyze a situation, have an opinion, and defend their opinion. I try to instill that in my 3rd graders. This saying helps in learning, but also in behavior as we must be able to have a reason for any action we make as well.
The future is ever-changing and exciting. I am looking forward to learning more technology tools to help my students prepare for it!
