11/7: Technology Integration Plans

In our CEP class we are developing technology integration plans. This is a written out plan of how I will implement the uses of technology in my future classroom. I wrote about how I would use digital storytelling to teach an American history lesson to 5th graders. I took a lesson, which I and a group from my TE 401 class already designed to teach the Battle at Lexington Green, the starting point of the American Revolution and elaborated on it to incorporate a digital story project. You can look at my technology integration plan on my website!

Although I didn't include it in my official technology integration plan for class, I also have many other ideas of how I will use technology in my classroom. I know that I want to use blogging as a source of organization, communication, and journaling. I think blogs can be utilized in so many ways that would foster to education. First of all, I would keep my own blog, "the teacher's blog," where I could post announcements, and provide a means of communication to parents and students. This would be especially helpful when students are absent, or when a parent asks, "what did you do in school today?" I also would like to see students use blogs as a way to journal. Instead of journaling in a notebook everyday, a couple times a week, or even once a week, like I used to when I was a kid, I would have students journal in the "classroom blog." This would be a blog set up for student access under my account. Each student could sign in and post to the same blog with their journal entry for the day. I would give journal prompts such as: WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND? or WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS? This would give students the chance to practice their typing skills and practice writing.

I also would like to create a class website. I haven't thought about long-term, in other words, if I would make a new website each year or just edit the same one each year. That would be something I would handle when the time comes. But I know that I would like to see a class website, where I could also post announcements, newsletters, assignments in PDF format for students who lose them or who were absent. This would also give parents a closer look at what their kids are doing in class. This could also be the place where I publish their digital stories I mentioned earlier and any other "publishable" work done by the students.