Digital Tools in a Digital Environment

When I watched the video by Sugata Mitra it reminded me of my 2nd graders this year. Kids today pick up technology so quickly. There is no fear or intimidation, only curiosity. The ones who are quicker at understanding are eager to help the others. I am fortunate that I was accepted to be a part of my district’s first EdTech Cohort. We meet monthly to learn about new apps and programs so that we can take it back to our campus and share with others. The downside to this is that I’m also a classroom teacher and it is difficult to be there to help other teachers unless it is before or after school. Our Technology Integration Specialist is only available on our campus once every 2 weeks, so needless to say, if teachers want to learn more about technology they have to wait for help, or look for help on their own. 

One of the ways I evaluate the trends in technology is by searching online to see how it is being used by others and researching the impacts it is having on students. If there is not much chatter about it on the internet then I usually don’t give it much of my time. I have a busy schedule and our curriculum is fast paced, so I can’t spend time on technology that will waste precious minutes. I usually look to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for posts and videos from groups like TCEA, EdTech teacher groups, App companies, and other teachers in the field who are sharing what they know. I subscribe to EdWeek to receive emails about trending articles in EdTech and am a member of TCEA. I am also attending the TCEA conference for Elementary teachers in Galveston this summer.

Some of the tools I have used this year in my classroom are Seesaw, Edpuzzle, Pear Deck, Kahoot, Minecraft Education, Google Classroom, Flocabulary, Keynote, DoInk, Zearn Math, Scratch Jr., Google Forms, Freeform, GetEpic, PebbleGo, Book Creator, and ReadWorks.org. This sounds like a lot but each one has served a purpose for a lesson, a review, or for an enrichment activity. My favorites are Seesaw, Edpuzzle, Pear Deck, and Kahoot. I also love Freeform because I use it to create anchor charts with the students. I do provide a balance of writing with pencil and paper and reading books. I don’t want them to do everything on an iPad but rather teach them to use technology as a supplemental resource to enhance their learning. 

Mitra, S. (2013, February 27). Sugata Mitra: Build a school in the cloud. YouTube. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3jYVe1RGaU