Technology is EVERYWHERE!

Technology is everywhere.  This semester I have learned so much about technology and what it can do for a classroom.  The most beneficial to me so far has been the website.  KWLs are also important, but I already knew a lot about them. KWL charts are used to gain knowledge about what a student Knows, what they Want to know, and what they Learned.  KWLs can be used in the classroom as attention getters or introductions to activities.  It is great for school age children to fill out by their self and turn in, but can be used for younger children as well.  For younger children it can be turned into a class activity.  KWL charts provide the child’s input in what they want to learn, therefore making it more interesting to them.  The traditional way of just writing it down is more effective here because the children can go it right then and stay excited about it as the teacher goes right into teaching about it.

As I already mentioned the website was the most beneficial to me.  It took a lot of effort to put together.  I had to think about backgrounds and color schemes along with effective material to add.  I spent a lot of time on it, but it was well worth the effort.  Having a class website makes contact with parents easier, answers many parents questions before they ask them, and can even keep the students busy.  Having a classroom website may not necessarily improve student’s learning, but it will intrigue it (especially if I keep it changing.)  This technological approach is much more effective than a monthly newsletter.  Websites can be updated much more frequently and provide fast feedback.  Communicating with parents via email or website forms is also a lot more reliable than a Kindergartener, especially if it isn’t such a nice note. Those seem to just vanish sometimes.