Field Experince 3

What?

This was my last week in Vista Elementary. I noticed a lot of changes within the students as well as the teacher. I noticed technology being used more since we came into the classroom.

So What?

I feel we have introduced a new way of learning to our cooperating teacher. At the beginning I rarely noticed our cooperating teacher using technology. She would use the smart board but using other resources were hardly used. I believe this has strengthened our relationship as colleagues as well as helped me see my education working for me. I have used what I have learned in the classroom and as a result sparked an interest for our cooperating teacher. I think this is why we go to school to update and learn new ways to teach and present information. I have seen it not only help and uplift my students learning but it also helps other teachers.

Throughout my field experience, our cooperating teacher would constantly ask my partner and I how we did something, which had to deal with technology. She would also ask us where we found our information and how we found it. She would then ask us to show her and teach her. This experience has changed the way I view technology. Before starting my field experience, I knew technology was important and I knew that was the direction the world was moving in but after finishing I have seen using different types of technology and frequently using it helps motivate those who you are working with whether its your students or your colleagues.

Now What?

I still believe technology is our future students. I believe technology will open doors for my students and will help all the different types of learners. There were some students that were not interested or did not pay attention when they were just listening to someone talk but as soon as you added in pictures on the Smart Board, or you used a video or you had them use technology in some way, everything changed. This changes the way I have been taught to the way I want to teach. Technology is not only using PowerPoint's or using the Smart Board tools, technology is having students research information for a project, or having them create a project. There is not one right way or right tool in technology because I believe all of it is valuable and important to learn and use.

Technology is not there to keep to yourself. Throughout my field I have seen those teachers that incorporate technology into their classrooms and do not share their information of what they did or how they did it with other teachers, especially those lacking in technology knowledge. When I become a teacher I want to try to change that and have my department be on the same page and use similar teaching strategies. I have seen the excitement our cooperating teacher got when we used technology in her classroom and would hope to bring that collaboration and excitement to my future school and future colleagues. Collaboration can make a difference and I hope to have a positive experience with my colleagues when I teach.

Video Reflection

I think technology is really important in schools. I find it very beneficial to have somebody at the school working to make it a technology community. In this video the technology specialists alleviates a lot of stress the teachers obtain as they are trying to do everything they possibly can to help their students succeed in a technology world. This video clip includes making learning fun through computers. They are learning different things in different ways. It opens doors for those that may have struggled with school before. This program helps those students blossom and enjoy their education. They state the achievement scores went up and so did relationships between other teachers and students. Who wouldn't want to make a difference...we all would and that's what this video showed me!