Rebecca Leedham

TL 445 Section 1

3rd grade, Mrs. Barton

Jefferson Elementary School

1. Identify and describe 4 technologies available in the classroom where your

Practicum is taking place. (For example iPads, Chrome book computers, Smart Board,

Document Camera, CD player, projector, classroom speaker system, etc.)

My classroom had iPads, chrome book computers, a document camera, and a

projector. The iPad in the classroom was used by a girl with a speech disorder.

She used the iPad to communicate with an app that she typed on. The chrome

book computers were laptops that students used to research often. They would

also take them out during free time. The document camera was used often when

the teacher wanted to exemplify what she was doing in front of the class without

rewriting it onto the whiteboard. The projector was almost always on in the

classroom with directions to show what the students should be doing. Also, the

teacher projected various videos on the projector.

2. Describe how the teacher, you are observing, uses the technology available in the

classroom.

Please give 2 examples and identify content areas (such as math, English, science, social

studies, reading, etc.) where the technology is being used.

If the teacher isn't using the technology available, please give 2 examples of how you

would use technology, in your own classroom.

The teacher uses the iPad for the student with the speech disorder. However, she

could also use it for free time if she downloaded educational fun apps. She uses

the chrome books for research on their research projects which they just finished

about weather. She also allows students to type their reading responses on the

chrome books rather than writing them by hand. The document camera is used for
 showing examples to the students of how they should complete a worksheet. She

could also use the document camera to put handwritten directions up of what

students should be doing. The projector is used the most often. The teacher

always has typed directions up of what students should be doing. She also puts up

educational videos of things such as science experiments.

3. In observing the school, as a whole, please identify 4 technologies available.

Describe how they are being used by the teachers and staff. (For example the intercom

system, computer lab, copy machine, laminator etc.)

There is a copy machine, an intercom system, a laminator, and laptop computers

dispersed throughout the school. The copy machine is used by all staff. There is

paper all around the copy room in every color imaginable. Teachers can choose

their paper and create as many copies as they would like. The intercom system is

mostly used for the office to communicate with an individual class. This is

typically to call a student down to the office or to communicate something to an

individual student. The laminator is similar to the copy machine. Teachers can

laminate anything that they would like in the same room as the copier. The laptop

computers are all around the school. Students have access to them in their own

classrooms for whatever use that their teacher chooses.

4. Please give 2 examples describing how your supervising teacher uses assistive

technology, or other forms of technology, to instruct any ELL or Special Need

students in the classroom. If your practicum classroom doesn't have any ELL or Special

Needs students. Please give 2 examples describing how you might use assistive

technology, or other forms of technology, to help instruct these students.

 There is one student in my practicum class that is nonverbal. She uses an app on

the iPad to press little pictures and words to communicate with the rest of the

class. There are no ELL students in the classroom, but I would use the iPad as

well for an ELL student. I would use the app on the iPad that translated by using

the camera. This would allow the student to compare the directions in English and

their primary language while also helping them to better comprehend the

directions.

5. Identify and describe 3 technology tools you would like to incorporate into your own

classroom. (Examples: Tablets, Laptops, SmartBoard, Doc Cam, Ozobot, Sphero,

OSMO etc.).

Describe how you would use each of these technologies, as tools, to teach classroom

content, such as math, English, science, social studies, etc. Or to use as a tool to re-teach

a concept and provide additional practice.

In my own classroom, I would first use a smartboard. I would use this for students

to interact with. I would put math problems on the smartboard and students could

go up and solve them. I would use Jimu to teach students at a young age the

basics of coding which is something I didn’t really know about until recently.

Finally, I would definitely use tablets/iPads in my classroom for easy research.

My class would have open access to these, but I would make sure to download

certain educational apps such as grammar help.

6. Please list 3 apps or websites that you plan to use in your classroom.

Describe how you would use them with your students, along with the content areas these

apps or websites, would be helpful in?

 I would like to incorporate the app appletree in my classroom. This

communication tool between the classroom and each student’s family could make

a huge difference in their overall education. I would use the website funbrain for

students to practice their math at the level that they stand while enjoying fun

games at the same time. I would finally use the app News-O-Matic which is an

app with different news articles aimed at kids. I would use this app at the

beginning of the day to introduce the current events and I would use this to work

on reading comprehension with individual students.

7. Consider the importance of identifying academic language and objectives in classroom

assignments. Please identify some examples of the academic language as it relates to technology

and designing objectives,

 Articulate for learners the academic language functions and skills that they need to master to

fully participate in the lesson and meet the grade-level content standards (Echevarria, Short,

& Vogt, 2008).

Some examples of academic language that I have found in technology are programming,

creative thinking, robotics, coding, digital, design, problem-solving, critical thinking,

networks, tasks, collaborate, strategic, instructional, software, computer-based, and

achievement.

- SWBAT describe a complete a coding cycle in robotics using the Jimu robot.

- SWBAT search different animals names on Google.

- SWBAT search for an app that can assist with math learning.
Write a paragraph describing how these language objectives have affected education. For

example discuss how technological terms, such as Google, internet, websites, apps, web

searches, coding, robotics, etc., have changed the way we think and talk about information

through technology.

Many technical academic terms are titles of different technology brands/resources. Being

aware of these will allow for better usage and understanding of technology as a whole. As

technology becomes larger and larger in our world, it becomes more important that there is

understanding on how to use it. Knowing the academic language behind it will allow for

smoother operation from reading directions to overall usage of any technology. Information

found within technology is also much more comprehendible to someone who understands the

technical terms.

The following question incorporates the assessment course with technology

8. After identifying and describing how language objectives have affected education,

identify one language objective related to technology you will implement in your future

classroom.

SWBAT search different animals names on Google.

 Following backward design principles, construct a simple assessment plan for ONE of the

language objectives. Be sure to identify the assessment approach (e.g., selective response,

essay)
 - Desired results: Through constructed response, students should be able to answer

a couple short answer question that explain how their experience with google

went and what the information they received from the process was.

- Students will take notes for evidence as they complete the researching process.

- The lesson will be introduced through an example done googling a different topic.

This will be projected on the board for students to watch.

 Create a short paragraph briefly describing the design of the assessment you will use in the

classroom.

My assessment of this objected would be a constructed response assessment. Students

will have a couple different guiding questions to answer after they have completed the

googling assignment. These questions will ask about the process; how it went and what

they learned from it.

 Describe how your assessment will provide you with evidence that the students have learned.

My students will turn in the notes that they took during their own work time. They will also

complete the assessment that will explain how the process went for them. With this

information, I will be able to see if students felt good about the search process and

understood all of the technical directions or if there were some areas that they needed some

help in.

9. Please describe how student voice plays a role in your practicum classroom.
 Reflect on your student's learning targets, goals, and understanding, how do the students

display their understanding of the content to the teacher?

Since these are constructed responses, students will have the opportunity to write about what

they felt went well and what didn’t. They will be asked to write about what they understood

and what they still could use some help on. These questions allow the students to create

answers of their own and creates their voice in their assessment.

 Please identify 2 web-based technologies, you have learned about in this class, that could be

used for student voice. Describe how each of them would help you discover student

understanding of a particular topic or concept.

Socrative is a way to assess students on their learning. However, this website allows for

single or group answers and there are options for both multiple choice and short answer

answers. This would be great for students to use if the teacher wanted to ask a question about

how students were feeling about what they were learning in geometry. Since there is an

option to make the answers anonymous, the teacher can pull up the answers to show all of

the different struggling areas and go through them with the class. Another technology that

can support student voice in the classroom would be the iPad. Students have a lot of freedom

when it comes to the iPad if they are allowed. I would ask my students to find different apps

for each of the subject that they are learning as well as one that goes with whatever they are

interested in. With this, I could learn more about the student and the way they may learn best

by the apps the choose.

10. Take a few minutes to consider what you have learned, this semester, in the technology

course. Write a paragraph reflecting on your experience and how it has changed your thinking,

about technology, and its usefulness in the classroom. This is an open-ended question, you may

write about any topic you choose.

I had no idea that technology was so advanced until I took this course. I knew that there

were things such as robots and controllable balls that roll with remote, however, I could have

never imagined that there would be a use for them in the classroom. In this course, I learned that

technology is the best way to add fun to education. I can see technology growing in the

classrooms in front of my eyes, so I can only imagine where it will be in a few years when I have

my own classroom. There are endless opportunities with technology that I could never have

imagined before. I plan to use robots like Jimu for programming, apps on the ipad to help

students learn how to type, smartboards to give students the opportunity to show the class their

thinking, and so much more. Technology advances more and more every day allowing for

extensive opportunities for learning in the classroom.