Ithaca College teaching professionals are able to effectively utilize technology to enhance student learning and professional growth and development.
It is not about the technology; it’s about sharing knowledge and information, communicating efficiently, building learning communities and creating a culture of professionalism in schools. These are the key responsibilities of all educational leaders.
― Marion Ginapolis
In our digital age, it would be a disservice to forgo incorporating technology in the classroom. Students use technology at home, on their way to school, and between classes. At the same time, it is important to ensure that one is not using the technology for the sake of the technology (Clif Mims). Any technology used should be for the benefit of the student and to improve student learning outcomes.
In my classroom, I use technology to help students access conceptual understandings. I use online simulations to help students to understand physical phenomena that is difficult to create in a classroom. I use software to assist students with skill such as graphing to create meaningful representations of data and evidence.
I encourage my students to use the classroom website or other online resources to find additional information, as well as model how online communication can and should be done.
I follow Educational Technology blogs, such as EdTech RoundUp and Edutopia. This allows me to remain current in my knowledge of what is available and what is effective use of technology in classrooms.
Artifacts
1. Force and Motion Simulation Worksheet
This worksheet guided my students through the use of FossWeb’s Balancing Forces simulation, provided them with both guided and open inquiry. Especially with unbalanced forces, these are difficult to represent in a classroom, as students (and all humans) naturally try to balance forces they are applying.
2. MobyMax
This online tutorial allowed my students another modality to learn the information needed to succeed with this unit. I offered time in class and information on how to complete it outside of class to my students, giving them extra credit for each section they had completed. I liked this form of online tutorial, but decided not to use it for my second unit as it did not align as well with the content my class would be learning.
I wanted my students to be able to graph with excel as independently as possible, so I created these directions for students to follow. I designed them in the style of how-to websites, with picture as well as text to provide guidance. I found that they did help, but students needed the directions broken up into smaller chunks of information.