Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

According to Anthony Steed’s (2013) article, “Technology in the Classroom”, Business and Economic teachers are embracing the use of technology in their classrooms, and he gives several examples of these technologies. The websites are primarily used for collaboration and communication; therefore, they would be helpful in any classroom or learning environment. Steed (2013) begins by pointing out that teachers in his field have begun to use these technologies frequently, and the conference that he attended allowed them to share their experiences. Although the motivation behind using more technology may have come from district goals or expectations, the teachers have found that they enjoy these tools and find them very useful.

            All of the websites included are interactive and the explanations imply they are user friendly. Some websites are more for the teacher to create products for their students to interact with while others are meant for students to be the creators. These three websites are meant for the former. Socrative can be used on a variety of handheld devices such as tablets and smartphones, and it is used to give students educational exercises or games for the students to complete. On Quizlet and Scoop.it the teacher can create quizzes, flashcards, and magazine articles for their classes to read and leave comments on. Finally, Triptico has tools and resources that can be downloaded onto computers. It has many different templates and resources such as educational, interactive whiteboard games.

            The following websites are for the students to create and collaborate. Popplet allows the students to create and share brain maps, and Go Animate gives the students tools to make their own short animated cartoons. Jing is a website for recording videos and audio, a great resource for ‘flipped’ classrooms. Although all of the websites are interactive, the websites that allow students to create projects seem particularly enjoyable.

            In a classroom Go Animate and Jing would be especially fun and useful for students to use as a 6 weeks project. Right now, many schools in Texas are taking their STAAR tests, so students are just getting off a few weeks of testing blitz and review lessons. Therefore, a project that allows the students to work in cooperative groups to make an animated cartoon or short movie would allow for some creative time and let some of the testing stress go. As an English/Language Arts Teacher, the idea of a cartoon or short movie based on the curriculum’s theme of challenges sounds like a great way to get the students writing and reading without bogging them down during a highly stressful testing season.

            Also Socrative or Scoop.it would certainly help liven up discussions. Teachers are already fighting students to put away their cellphones, so perhaps using the cellphone as an educational tool would alleviate some of the stress. The students get to have the phone out and the teacher gets a little more motivation for discussing and participating in class. It is a potential win-win situation.

Reference

Steed, A. (2013). Technology in the classroom. Teaching Business & Economics, 17(3), 7-9.         Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1470800070?accountid=7113