When I think about using technology in the classroom, the obvious answers always seem to slip my mind. My first instinct isn’t to try and incorporate something I use everyday such as you tube, cell phones, etc. I think that because I am so used to using them daily, I don’t realize it is in fact an example of technology that may be beneficial in the classroom. Just because I personally have not used any of these as an example in this ISTC class, does not mean that I haven’t used them outside of this class, or seen other teachers use them. Actually, last week when creating a lesson on the Sun for the 3rd grade science class I intern for, I got two or three you tube videos that were great simulations and examples of what the sun looks like close up. Unfortunately, the BCPS school computer I was provided, would not allow me to access these videos due to a block, or filter in the system. Since only specific computers are connected to the projector, I was forced to use that computer, and I was unable to show the class these videos, which would have been great resources! The videos would have been excellent for the students to view in order to gain a better understanding of what the sun is really like. Because of the filters Baltimore County puts on the computers, that are intended to block unwanted websites, the students weren’t able to view an educational video.
Also, when interning in my second grade math class, my mentor teacher uses her cell phone as a motivation or punishment. If a certain student is behaving badly, the teacher takes out her cell phone and threatens to call or text that students’ parent. Since that student does not want a phone call home, he/she sits down and seems to some-what improve his/her behavior. Using the cell phone as technology in this type of setting, where is becomes a threat to the students, is not really how I viewed incorporating technology. Of course, if it works as a resource to get more students behaving better than it is very useful, but I can’t see myself ever taking out my cell phone and threatening a student to call his/her parents because of their bad behavior.
All of these everyday technologies can be incorporated into any classroom just as easily as anything else we have used for examples in this class. Using things such as cell phones, and/or social networking sites may cross that barrier between your personal life and your teacher life, but it also may increase communication among the teacher and the students, or the teacher and the parents. When asked about integrating technology into the classroom, I would use any of these examples as a possible method, as long as I keep the separation between my personal technology use, and my professional technology use.
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While having a discussion on the use of youtube in a classroom in my current biology class, we discussed how useful different videos can be for teaching a specific topic. We also decided that since we are elementary education majors, we do not believe that children should have access to this website for reasons such as getting off track or looking up inappropriate videos. Because of this, I think it is a good thing that school computers block certain sites. At the same time, I do not think that the teacher's computer should be blocked. In my biology class, we decided it would be best for a teacher to preview a video and then show it using a projector connected to his or her computer. Since students are usually not allowed on a teacher's computer, I do not understand why his or her computer would have a block.
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