As the day approached where I had to give my students a technology infused lesson, I became more nervous and confused about what exactly I was supposed to do. Technology in the classroom is very intimidating to me, especially in a classroom and school where technology is not used as much as it should. I was especially confused about what constituted technology. I did not know if it had to be digital technology or anything that could be used as a “tool” to teach a lesson. At the final hour, I chose to teach my lesson on the water cycle and incorporate a video and a “spinner” the students would create to answer questions on what they learned.
As I reflected on my lesson, I realized that I chose engaging tools as my technology. The video I chose was age-appropriate and covered the information I was going to teach perfectly. There was not too much, nor too little information. The students enjoyed creating their water cycle spinner, and showed a lot of pride in completing the task. They were excited to play with them and show them off to me, as well as the CTs in the room.
The problems I encountered were with the technology itself. The laptop in the classroom needed a software update to show the video I had picked for this lesson. Since I was trying to avoid wasting time, I used my own laptop and connected it to the wires required to project the video onto the screen. While the video displayed perfectly, there was no sound coming from my laptop. I had to disconnect the laptop, call the children to the reading rug, and play the video from it on a table that was close enough for all the children to be able to hear. The entire process to correct the technology issue lasted about 15 minutes. Those were 15 precious minutes that could have been spent teaching. Next time I use technology, I will test the websites and software before I try to give the lesson. A small problem I had with the spinner was when the arrows did not fit into the brads correctly, which also delayed teaching, while I went across the room to help the children put the spinner together correctly.
Reflection on Student Learning
It is my opinion that the lesson I taught on the water cycle enhanced student learning because it was very hands-on, meaningful and engaging. The lesson itself was different than what they are normally used to. The students are always excited when the teacher shows a video to begin a lesson, so I used the same approach in my lesson. I always attempt to make science lessons meaningful and engaging, because I see my CT do so and the students expect it from her.
Despite having materials that could potentially be distracting, the students followed classroom management procedures and waited for instructions, as I had reinforced in the beginning of the activity. I believe the video used together with the spinner provided a positive learning experience for the students, as evidenced by their work seen in pictures of student work.
Reflection on Teacher Learning
The students were very excited about this lesson. After their spinner were complete, I used the spinners to conductive a formative assessment on their learning. As I asked the questions, the students would place the arrow in the appropriate answer and display their answers to me. I walked around the room and checked all the answers. Most of the students had the answers correct, so as not to embarrass those who didn’t, I asked a student what their answer was and asked the class as a whole, if they agreed with that student. Allowing all the students to participate made a with their water cycle spinner made the class more engaging.
As a teacher, however, I realized I lacked the assessment data necessary to plan future instruction based on student learning. The spinners provided on the spot answers to my questioning, but there was not any concrete evidence that every student grasped the concept I was trying to teach. If I had the opportunity to teach the lesson again, I would have another type of assessment. I would have the student write down their understanding of how the water cycle works in their journal. That way, I can check for learning and see if the are misconceptions I need to address in a future lesson.
Another lesson I learned with this observation is that I should not be intimidated by technology. With proper planning, technology can be a fun and engaging way to teach students. As a society, we are becoming more dependent on technology and children, as well as teachers, should certainly learn to use it. I only wish the school placed more emphasis on technology, since resources are limited.
I hope to use technology in the future as much as I possibly can. It will benefit instruction greatly and enhance content as more engaging and meaningful, which is what learning should be.