Learning Task #2 -Week 3

1. How can you change your instructional practices to include the use of technology and the Internet in the content-area curriculum?


As a first year teacher I am learning new things every day. Every new technology I learn through the IT program at NYIT and also on my own I find ways I can integrate new technology into my everyday lessons. I can use; YouTube videos to engage visual learners during lessons, the smartboard for probability lessons or showing the TI calculator interactively on the smartboard or just doing examples on the smartboard, games from math playground or similar sites to have students do examples in a fun way or as Dr. Hsu said do a global activity such as having a class in another country that uses the metric system send measurements to my class to convert and vice-verses. Through these new technologies that I am learning everyday I will be ever changing my lessons to keep them up to date with the new technology that is occurring.


2. What professional development and/or resources will they need in order to make these changes?


To do most of these technologies I mentioned teachers will need a smartboard. They will need a smartboard so that they can easily interact with the programs and also have the students interact in a hands on environment. As of professional development, I know most schools offer at least a few programs a year, but to make technology integrated into daily lessons there will need to be more professional development offered. So if the school has the budget to offer more professional development and also to provide every classroom with either a smartboard or an available laptop cart all of the technologies I stated above are possible. 


3. What ideas do you have for grouping students so they have equal access to technology in the classroom?


Having the smartboard in a classroom is a easy way to get an entire class to interact and engage in a technology filled lesson, but not every classroom has one. Some classrooms have one or two computers and in that case you can have students do a station activity where each student will be able to be on the computer at some point during the class. The most effective way to give students equal access is to sign up to have the computer lab or library. In these places students can each have a computer/laptop and do their work individually therefore giving every student equal access.