Technology In The Classroom

I have been working in a classroom and school that is very supportive of using technology and teaching the students abotu technology. The room that I have been placed in, takes an active part in using the classroom computers and the computers in the computer lab as well. Bugbee Elementary School ( where I have been been working) has a designated time twice a week for each class to go to the computer lab to work on the computers. Students are able to work on the computers during their library special. The library special is different than all the other specials that the students go to each week, this special is an hour long. This is so the students can work on the computers for thirty minutes and then explore in the library for books with the other thirty minutes.

During the students computer time they are taught a certain lesson about the computer, and then they have a task in which they must complete each time they are at the lab; usually the task/assignment goes along with what they were taught that day. On somedays they just review what they went over in previous weeks. Most of the assignments entail many different things on the computer. For example, one assigngnment would have the student exploring the internet for a certain topic, typing sentences or facts on what they found, and then creating a picture about what they wrote about. I am always amazed that he students can do this!! They are only in 2nd grade!!

When the students are in the classroom they also use computers. Often they will ask the teacher if they could type some of the work that they are doing in class. Or other times they want to work on activities on the computer. In the classroom that I am in, my teacher has a lot of fun CD-ROM activities for the students to do when they have completed their work. And since there are four computers in the classroom a lot of the student can use it everyday. The children always seem to be so excited when they are on the computers and they are expanding their knowledge at the same time. What a great way to engage students!!

I find That these parctives are great for students. They not only enjoy this time of the day but they also learn a lot from the technology that is introduced to them. The concepts that they are learning know will be of great use to them later on in life. This is somthing that I deffinetly want to do in my classroom when I become a teacher, and our text supports this idea too. We are always learning about using technolgy in class, and I also noticed that a lot of the things that we talk about in class is practiced at this school. I am a strong believer in using technology in the classroom. I also know that it is a very effective teaching strategy for classrooms.