As a recent graduate from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), I would say that technology is used in my classroom on a daily basis. Below is a working list of some technology and how my teaching partner Trista Dutt and I use them in our classroom:
- SMART Board: morning message, DPA (gonoodle.com), learning collages (reflecting on what was learned/what students wish to learn, YouTube, read-aloud stories, educational games, transitions
- IPad: documenting students learning through photos/video/audio/pic collages/google docs, educational games such as letter tracing, allowing the students to document their own learning and voice, sharing documentation with staff, admin, parents, and other educators through our social media accounts (IG: Educate.Invest.Inspire IG: KindieKorner P: educate.invest.inspire P: Trista Dutt)
- Laptops/Computers: to print off lesson plans, instructions for experiments, checking e-mails (parent/staff/admin communication), educational games and websites for students to access, research for teachers and students, collaborating and creating lesson plans, writing blogs
- Cell Phones: often used when IPads have run out of battery and are charging back up
- Document Camera: Our Tech Lead has recently asked if we could put one of these to use, to which we responded most definitely! In our FDK class we could use these for projecting our storybooks during our daily read alouds, presenting any work or small items so everyone can see it, and much more!
Over the 6 years of my educational career and work experience with children, I have compiled a variety of web-based resources and APPs which assist me in providing the best innovative educational programs and learning opportunities to meet the needs of all students.
I have included a list of resources that my ICT professor Laura Morrison curated for us at UOIT:
Movie Making Programs
- Movie Maker
- iMovie
- Animoto
- PopcornMaker
Storymaking Programs:
- Comic Life
- Comic Master
- iBooks
- Storybird
Digital Poster Making Tools:
- Glogster
- Tackk
- Smore
- Thinglink
- Canva
Curation Tools:
- Evernote
- Mindmeister
- Diigo
- Storify
- Symbaloo
Accommodation Tools:
- Dragon
- SmartIDEAS
- VoiceThread
- Word Q
Collaborative Brainstorming Tools:
- Mindmeister
- Popplet
- Linoit
- Padlet
Feedback/Tutorial Tools:
- Screencast-o-matic
- GoodNotes
Online Learning Tools:
- Desire2Learn
- GoogleSites
- Weebly
- Wix
- Wikispaces
Social Media Tools:
- Google Hangouts
- Tumblr
- Vine
- Edmodo
- Ning
- Celly
Math Tools:
- ixl.com
- funbrain.com
- link to learning
- nlvm.com
Another great resource that I have recently found out about is EducatorsLog which is an “app that has been specifically designed by teachers for teachers to help them meet classroom expectations. EducatorsLog provides fast and efficient methods for documenting student learning for all grades including full day kindergarten” (Spence).
Should you wish to learn more about this you may visit: www.educatorsLog.com.
I look forward to trying this APP within my classroom!
I have recently completed my Mathematics Pt.1 AQ, ESL Pt.1 AQ, Reading Pt.1 AQ, and Health and Physical Education ABQ where I have received and curated a variety of web-based resources and APPs that are specific to Mathematics, ESL, Reading, and Health and Physical Education. Should you wish to obtain some of these subject specific resources, you may leave a comment or e-mail me at educate.invest.inspire@gmail.com
I feel that educators are always learning and growing as individuals and as professionals. To further my professional development and knowledge base in Technology I will be attending an EdTech Camp Conference which is hosted by York Region District School Board on April 9th, 2016. This conference will allow educators to gain practical insights into how to use Google Apps for education and other technology tools and resources in their school in with their students. I feel that this conference will strengthen my technological skills within a classroom setting. Thank you to Trista Dutt for informing me of this wonderful learning opportunity!
I would like to leave you with this quote:
Technology in the classroom allows us to better prepare students for the future. Teaching content, methods, criteria, are constantly changing and adapting to meet the needs, interests, abilities, and future career paths for our students. We cannot teach our students today how we were taught in prior generations because there has been so many advancements in technology, in content, in methods/strategies. All children are capable, competent, and creative and we need to provide them with the resources for them to be able to express that.
If you have any additional resources you would like to share with me, please do as I enjoy learning about new technology!
