TPTE 486 Experiences

When I started this class, I felt somewhat confident in my ability to use technology in the classroom. I had previously taken a general computer science course, and I have worked with technology both as a user and in the classroom as a practicum student prior to this class. However, I had never used some of this technology in the way that we did in class (which I will talk about in a moment) and had never used some of it at all.

My favorite projects in the course were actually the two biggest projects - the interactive whiteboard flipchart and the digital story. I had never worked with ActivInspire before, nor had I created my own flipchart or even heard about Promethean Planet. I really enjoyed trying to find ways to make the content I was covering interactive and fun for my students. Because I want to teach science, I am constantly looking for ways to make learning hands on and fun, especially outside of the lab. I liked putting all the small parts together to make one large final piece of work. This is also why I enjoyed working on the digital story. Prior to that project, I had never worked with iMovie professionally. I find iMovie to be a really fun tool to work with in general, but creating something I could use in the classroom with it was highly satisfying. The final product that came from putting all the smaller parts together was very personally gratifying for me, and I think it is something that does not take too much time, especially now that I'm familiar with ways to use the program. It is something I highly expect I will work into my curriculum in the future.

I do not really think there was any part of this class that I did not enjoy or reap some benefit from, honestly. I feel like I now have a lot more knowledge about technology and how to use it in the classroom, as well as a variety of resources to use already. I have no suggestions for anything to add to or remove from the course overall. I really enjoyed this class, and I definitely feel more prepared to use the technology I will likely find in my classroom - from interactive whiteboards to iPads and smart phones. But I do not only feel much more confident in my ability to use the technology, but also in my ability to help other teachers and students use the technology. Hopefully, I will end up in a tech savvy school, willing to allow me to use the most technology I can for the maximum benefit my students!

Interactive White Boards: Why Should Teachers Use Them?

I distinctly remember my calculus class in high school. It wasn't because I loved the subject or because I did either very well or very poorly in the class, nor was it because I had a really phenomenal teacher who knew how to connect with the students. It was because it was the first class I had ever taken that had an interactive white board (it was a SMART Board). Now, interactive white boards (IWBs) are pretty common (all the classroom at Tennessee School for the Deaf's middle school have some kind of IWB). There are so many great ways to make any class interactive just through the use of an IWB, but as you will come to see, simply having at IWB is not enough.

Because IWBs are still new, one of the downfalls is that there has not been a significant amount of research done on all the aspects of using them. But enough research has been done to show that a teacher can't just hook up an IWB and use it, and then see benefits his/her students are getting. The way the teacher uses the IWB is the important part. Many teachers use these IWBs as another projection screen or a regular white board. That sort of defeats the "interactive" part of interactive white boards, in my opinion. But it is understandable - this is a whole new technology that I only experienced for the first time in my senior year of high school, and I'm even in that generation of kids that barely remember a time before cell phones. But using IWBs without using their interactivity functions doesn't add anything to a classroom. I know better than most that technology can be frustrating, and learning new technology does require a certain amount of time that not everyone has. But when it will benefit your students and how they learn, is any amount of time not going to be worth it? And there are already so many resources made for IWBs, like at Promethean Planet. So, realistically, effectively using IWBs could save teachers a lot of time in the future!

Here, a teacher is using the dragging/dropping information and matching items abilities of an IWB to check her students understanding of the content.

One relatively easy way to fix this big problem is to have teachers participate in professional development, to really dig in and look at all the different ways interactive white boards can be used to benefit their students. Interactivity in lessons adds to active learning, which is a huge part with a lot of the new educational reform and its focus on inquiry-based teaching. Presenting things in a multi-modal fashion will cater to all your different kinds of learners: kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learners alike. We are in a generation where kids are obsessed with technology, so adding this interactivity to your lessons will also have your students' attentions right where you want that attention. On you, the teacher. IWBs can also add instant feedback if teachers use these in conjunction with student response systems, and adds a level of anonymity to the actual responses, so those students who do not answer questions aloud in class for fear of being wrong can also participate.

The benefits of using IWBs definitely outweigh their potential and perceived problems, because the majority of the perceived problems deal mostly with user error, or user misunderstanding. When something can increase my future students' understanding of the material I will teach, and when that something can also generally increase their achievement, or even just add to their personal sense of enjoyment in my classroom or their self-confidence in a subject area, I am going to do everything in my power to learn as much as I can about whatever that thing might be. Let's get these teachers taught! I hope to see many opportunities to further my education with technology in the classroom, and I'd like to start with interactive white boards. Because they aren't just becoming popular, they are becoming the norm.

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling, according to the University of Houston's website, is "the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. Prior to this class, I had never heard of digital storytelling, although I know I've experienced it before this. Daniel Meadows, a pioneer in the field of digital storytelling, described digital stories as "multimedia sonnets from the people," which is a really poetic way to think about it. I like thinking about digital storytelling in that way. 

Everyone loves a good story. How many of us as children begged for another, and another, and yet another bedtime story? One was never enough for me! In this technology-driven age, it makes sense that we would be seeking a digital version of this storytelling. How many TV shows and movies now are told through flashbacks (which is, in essence, someone telling us a story)? But the important thing from all of this is that this digital storytelling can be used in the classroom. I feel like students today are much more interested in watching movies in the classroom because, let's face it, they are more interesting than listening to someone lecture you about the same content. One thing that the University of Houston's website provides is a whole page specifically dedicated to ways to use this digital storytelling in the classroom. I found this to be especially helpful because I plan to teach science, and I liked seeing how I can apply this storytelling to my classroom, especially since it seems to be so biography/history/social studies and language arts driven. 

The "Educational Uses" Page on the University of Houston Website

I honestly do not know if I would have considered this as a tool for students had I not read through this website. I like the collaborative nature of science work, and I like knowing that this digital storytelling can become a collaborative things that my students can share, not only with each other, but with other students in other states or countries. The website pointed out that this type of digital project appeals to leaners of all types, and since I have a special focus in deaf education, I think the visual nature of this as an assignment would work especially well with that group of students. It also would add a layer of creativity to the science content, which, sadly, is very much lacking. The website here also added that digital storytelling can help build communication skills, which I firmly believe all students in this technology-driven time can and will benefit from.

The Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling

I like that this website spelled out the elements not only just for digital storytelling in general, but also the ten parts of educational digital storytelling. It also explained the 21st century skills that working on a digital story helps build. I was somewhat surprised to see that the skills were all different types of literacy, but excited to see "global literacy" on that list. That skill allows students to put information within a global context, which is something that I do not see many deaf students getting the opportunity to do. I also think digital storytelling can become a way to educate the greater hearing public about deafness, and about the deaf and hearing people who have done great things for the Deaf community and themselves. The final page provides some extra resources and tools, with links to podcasts, blogs, etc. all about digital storytelling. I also found this to be especially helpful, and have bookmarked it for that reason! I hope this explanation of digital storytelling and my anticipated application of it helped you better understand digital storytelling, too!

Bud the Teacher

If you haven't heard about Bud the Teacher, he is a teacher consultant for Colorado State University, and formerly a high school language arts and journalism teacher. He also runs this blog, where he provides insight and information for teachers.

This is what the main page of his blog looks like.

I enjoyed reading through Bud's blog because of the way he reflects on his own personal experiences with teaching. He writes in an informal and relatable way that makes me feel like a friend is trying to teach me how to better myself as a teacher. He blogs about a variety of topics, from purposeful web presence to talking about things that are happening, such as his post about National Poetry Month.

One blog post I found particularly powerful was actually his second-most recent blog post, which talks about empowerment. It's titled "I'm Not in Love with the Word Empowerment," and he might be the first person I have ever heard say those words! He talks about how he has been able to use the word without thought in the past, but lately, anytime he hears it, it makes him cringe. He explains why like this: "Because for me to empower you, especially when I hear the word used by others, I've got to have something that you don't have, and I have to give it to you. That thing is, of course, power." That is something I have never considered before when I talk about wanting to empower my students, which is something that often comes up when talking about D/deaf and hard of hearing students (and probably most students receiving special education services, too).

I really enjoyed reading through Bud's blog. I found it to be insightful and thought-provoking in a much deeper way than I honestly anticipated from a blog. His posts made me want to be sure I take the time to reflect on my own teaching in the future, because I think that will be the best way for me to ensure that I am positively impacting my students in what I am doing myself. While my teaching will be about my students first and foremost, without reflecting on what I do, I will never grow or progress, and with all the up-and-coming technology (and the technology that already exists) alone, I need to be growing and changing with all of what is to come, instead of staying behind in the dust.

About me!

Hi! My name is Jes Mann. I am in the Deaf Education program, with a focus in middle grade science. I want to be a teacher because I love working with kids, and I love science, so combining the two brought me here! I decided on Deaf Ed specifically because I grew up signing, and I am very passionate about both American Sign Language and children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing. I love to help educate people about the Deaf community, too!

While in this class, I hope to get a more in-depth understanding of how to use technology in my classroom. I feel like I have a general knowledge of technology as a personal user, but I would like to gain more information about using technology professionally. Also, I hope to become more comfortable using newer technology, such as interactive whiteboards and wikis. I feel confident that by the end of this class, I will be more comfortable using technology for my classroom.