Technology Within the Classroom

Technology has been shown to be an asset to children within the classroom. While technology comes in many forms, the two most obvious are websites and devices. There are many websites available to students, whether in a classroom or home school environment. Similarly, there are many devices available as well.

Technology, in general, does three things for students. One, it gives them a larger audience with which to communicate. Second, it allows them to share what they create within the classroom. Third, technology offers students numerous literacy-related websites that can hook them and get them engaged in reading authentic texts.

Websites

One website that I would highly recommend for students would be Raz-Kids. The animated books and interactive quizzes are but two aspects of this award winning site that makes it popular among students.

Another website that I would recommend that is also popular among educators is Reading A-Z. Constantly evolving with new material, this affordable online curriculum resource offers students and teachers books and lesson plans.

Starfall, which is free, is yet another website that I recommend for classroom use. This site has created a system that helps children learn to read through phonics. The program integrates vocabulary, fluency and comprehension into its phonemic awareness practice through a systematic approach to phonics.

While there is a lot of technology and numerous websites available, it is important to research the website you want to use within your classroom. Ideally, the site needs to both engage students and maximize learning.

Hardware
Ideally, classroom devices should be such that they engage students and maximize learning. I feel that Apple products are some of the best because they are so easy to integrate within a classroom environment. Also, Apple sends representatives to schools to trouble shoot with their products, should problems arise.

I strongly recommend iPads for any educational environment, whether classroom or home school. They can be used alone. They can just as easily be integrated with other technologies (i.e. Interactive Whiteboards, computers, and document cameras, for example). The websites above can all be easily downloaded and used on iPads.

Children of all ages love the ease of use of iPads. The sound and the touch screen capability makes it interactive and engaging, helping students to stay on task while they work on literacy websites.

An Interactive Whiteboard, as mentioned above, makes for an amazing tool for any classroom. As the name implies, the teacher, or student, can interact with the board through the use of a keyboard, mouse, a pointer, an iPad, or even just the touch of a hand upon the board itself.

This seeming dry erase board has a computerized LCD projector linked up to it. This makes the board a large computer screen for the entire classroom to see all at once, eliminating the need for a teacher to recreate what is on the computer screen through the use of markers upon a board.

Like the iPad, the multi-sensory abilities of the boards can be engaging for students. This helps students to remain focused on literacy lessons, while the ease of use means teachers will be more likely to use it within the classroom.

While technology in all its forms can be fun and useful, it is not a teacher. When used properly, though, technology can aid and support various types of learners, such as ESL or special needs students. Usage of the correct technology tools available can help a teacher raise his or her students education to the next level.