Projector? Smartboard? Computers? As I glanced around my empty classroom during pre-planning week I knew that I would have to exercise my creativity to compose engaging lesson plans for my 5th grade students.
This school year I began teaching 5th grade at a brand new charter school in Orange County. In the weeks before school started, we met some challenges which included the renovations to our building being incomplete. For now, we are at a temporary site at an older school building that is no longer being used. However, I do not have any technology resources in my classroom such as Internet access, a multimedia projector, or computers. As a teacher who is comfortable with integrating technology in the classroom on a daily basis, having limited access to these resources has definitely presented me with the challenge of developing activities and lesson plans that engage students sans technology. For example, I enjoy creating PowerPoint slide shows for my students as well as having students create them and present them to the class. I have also used blogs in the past to help students keep track of assignments in class. I have brought my MacBook to class on a few occassions and the students were enthralled by it. They all wanted to use it!
Despite these challenges, this experience has definitely given me some perspective. Without the advantage of the technologies I have had access to, it has helped me grow as a teacher by adapting to my environment and maximizing my use of the tools and resources that are available to me.
We hope to move to our new school at the end of the week where we will have a computer lab. The students and I are looking forward to it!
Thanks for reading,
Zena
Well first off, I am so sorry to hear about the limited resources that you have in technology for your students due to challenges but I hope that with the new renovations to your school they will included all the new technology for your students.
ReplyDeleteI like how you show your students powerpoints and in return, having your students create one and present to the class. With that, they can be creative and learn to speak in front of a group of people.
Its easy to forget how it was before we had all this new technology around us when we dont have it available for us to use. Therefore, like you had to adpat of not having such technology for you students. Which to me that was probably a great learning expereince because today we rely a great deal on technology and what if it didnt work one day? What would we do? Well I am so happy to see that you will be getting a new computer lab. Enjoy!
Thanks for your thoughts! The kids I have found really enjoy making PowerPoints. It keeps them completely engaged that they almost don't realize they are working!
ReplyDeleteZena,
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you are making the best of your situation by taking it as an opportunity to be creative. Technology is such a big part of our world, that it's hard to imagine not integrating it into the classroom. It's my understanding that the technological resources provided to teachers is largely dependent on the school you're at. While you are currently in a position where you have very limited resources, I saw someone else's post mentioning that every student in his/her class is provided with brand new MacBooks. Now, while the latter situation is certainly more ideal, I think that your situation is more likely, so I've been slowly gathering my own resources to bring to the class. I'm not currently teaching, but I hope to have a decent arsenal by the time I am, just in case. I think that is why this class is so beneficial.
Joey Sanchez
zehcnasyeoj@knights.ucf.edu
954-907-6542