1. TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM: GETTING STARTED Sandra Seiler, Foreign Language Teacher sseiler@johncarroll.org The John Carroll School

2. What I didn’t know…  FACT 1: Blended Learning in a corporate setting IS NOT the same as what it means to find interesting ways to integrate technology in the high school FL classroom.  FACT 2: High school students are a lot more comfortable using technology (and are much better at it!) than I ever HOPE to be!  FACT 3: I would always have more questions regarding technology integration than answers!

3. What I have learned… Integrating technology in the classroom is…  … a MUST. Our students need to feel comfortable using technology in the workplace, and it is our duty as educators to prepare them for the real world.  … key to saving time and energy, promoting organizational skills and reducing costs.  … exciting for students, but can be overwhelming for their teachers.  …not about a destination, but a journey.

4. My personal journey…  January 2007: I have a laptop and I know something about MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, now what?  September 2009: My website is the hub of my classroom activity.  Class calendars  Course documents  Shared One Note notebooks  Drop boxes  Links  Results: increased time-on-task and creativity.  Audacity, Movie Maker, Pixton, PowerPoint

5. Recommendations  Learn to use One Note and encourage your students to do the same.  Take small steps and add to your bag of tricks as you become comfortable using new programs.  Remember that every teacher is different…and every group is different.  Share with your colleagues!  Put your students to work!

6. Recommendations  Surf the internet for fresh ideas and resources.  Consider attending a workshop or conference.  As you become more confident, take some chances!  Always have a “Plan B”…and remember to back it up!