Technology is a funny word. The first thing that comes to mind when the word "technology" is said are things like iPhones and computers and tablets. But every kind of advancement is technically a piece of technology. Minimal technologies are not to be dismissed as they still have many benefits in the classroom, however multimedia technology covers a wider range of things to be done with it. Minimal technology includes things such as whiteboards, hard copies of worksheets, overhead projectors, TV's with VCRs, and handheld microphones. All useful things, but multimedia technology is more efficient. Now we have interactive whiteboards, computers with internet and software, digital projectors, digital cameras, voice recorders and surround sound. Some of these things are used daily in classrooms all around the world. Since my last attempt at embedding a Google Form into a Digital Badge assignment didn't work out so well I decided to try it again, and ask my readers what their favorite piece of technology to use in the classroom is.
I think that my favorite would be the Smart Board. Between the SmartBoard and the document camera, I believe you could change the world in a major way. Seriously! Page 222 in our textbook does an in depth description on document cameras and their benefits. One of the best things about them in my opinion is that the teacher can now write notes for the class to see without their backs being towards the class. This works really well for middle school and high school, especially math teachers. For elementary school this is a great piece of technology for multiple reasons. One would be that the teacher can work through a worksheet with the class, and another would be that the teacher can praise a student and show their good work on the board for the rest of the class to see. This could also be useful at open house and events like that.
There are countless ways that middle school students and high school students can use technology to help with their learning, but its hard to imagine elementary schoolers using the same technology. The textbook suggests using digital cameras to build up an alphabet book for kindergarten-2nd grade students. I think this could be a really cute project, maybe walking through the school with my class and a digital camera, and having them point out things that start with whatever letter of the alphabet. This could be an awesome way for them to begin to recognize the letter sounds they are learning in the real world around them.
Nice job on embedding your Google form! You can edit the size in the coding to better fit the blog. These forms are very versatile as they can be used for assessments as well as surveys. There are even add-ons that make it easier for teachers to grade using the forms. I especially like the video and photo inclusions that allow for multimedia options in the forms.
ReplyDeleteMost multimedia technologies that are used for secondary can also be used for elementary schools. Sometimes there is a need to tweak things, but keep those opportunities in mind. :)