Technology in the classroom: the future is now! by Cory Gaskell Research Methodology and Results: Teacher participation was voluntary and all data was returned in sealed envelopes. Teachers could choose to remain anonymous; however all 14 participants gave their name and grade level. The Riverside Elementary teaching staff was surveyed with the following set of questions: Q : Has current technology in the classroom expanded your ability to educate the youth of the 21st Century? Please explain. A : Unanimously, the participant teachers at Riverside agree that technology has helped them expand their curriculum. Riverside faculty engage students with technology in a variety of ways including: internet, , word processing, presentation software, Smartboard, educational software, document cameras, digital cameras, and classroom websites/blogs. Q : Do you have a Smartboard in your classroom? If yes, please list an average of the amount of time you spend teaching with it on a weekly basis. Please explain how you involve the Smart board in your lessons. A : The participants use Smartboards in their classroom curriculum an average of 5.7 hours per week. “Right now, my Smartboard is used as a glorified whiteboard.” said one fourth grade teacher. Participants currently use their Smartboards in the following ways: interaction with educational websites, student presentations, math, class timer, replacement for the overhead projector, show movies, sentence correction and grammar. Q : If you like using technology in your classroom, do you feel that specialized training would help you incorporate more ways of teaching with technology in your classroom curriculum? Would you be willing to take this training? Please explain. A : All but two participants in the study said they would like more hands-on training with new technology and especially the Smartboard. “Specialized training is of utmost importance to me. I did not grow up with technology, so I do not naturally see how to use a new program or an updated one.” said a fourth grade teacher. A third grade teacher said, “Specialized (hands-on) training is critical to successful implementation of technology.” Q : Do you use any educational computer programs or websites as teaching tools in your classroom? If yes, please list the programs/websites and explain how they are used as teaching tools. (Websites and programs listed to the left.) Q : Do you search the web for new or different ideas on lesson plans? If yes, how does this improve your teaching on a day to day basis? A : Thirteen out of the fourteen surveyed said they surf the web for new ideas or lesson plans. A specialist at Riverside commented, “It is always helpful to have a variety of materials as well as theories to draw from. What works for one student is not always effective for another. Also, variety keeps things fun!” Q : Has technology ever failed on you during a classroom lesson? Was there a backup plan? Did this event change your view on the use of technology in the classroom? Please describe the event and explain. A : Thirteen out of the fourteen surveyed said technology had failed them at least once. A common response from the participants was that when they use any kind of technology as their main lesson, always have a backup plan. Although technology can sometimes fail a third grade teacher reminds us, “Part of using technology is being flexible and willing to try new things.” Data Analysis: The surveys were thoroughly examined for trends and the data was documented into a spiral notebook. The results were shown and discussed with colleagues and confirmed as accurate.  Professional Development School Student Teacher  Riverside Elementary School  Mentor teachers’ names: Bonnie Dufty, 6 th Grade Liz Parsons, 3 rd Grade  Riverside Elementary Motto: Learning to Care Caring to Learn.  Research Project Purpose: My inquiry into this topic began when I noticed all the Riverside classrooms were being installed with Smartboard technology. I wondered if other teachers had my same amazement with the Smartboard and saw it as the future of education. However, I also wondered if teachers, like me, knew nothing about how to navigate and work this technology to its fullest potential. My educational technology class was equipped with a Smartboard, but we were not explicitly instructed on how to use it. I believe current and future teachers need to be taught how to master their classroom technology, and the Smartboard is the wave of the current and future classroom! This led to my inquiry project: Technology in the Classroom, The Future is NOW! My goal was to research the kinds of technologies teachers were using in their own classrooms on a day to day basis. I wanted to learn what kind of technology had been the best teaching tool and how they learned to apply it. I was also interested in any negative aspects of classroom technology the teachers experienced. My inquiry measured need or interest in further educational technology education as well. Riverside’s Favorite Educational Websites * spellingcity.com * Mrs. Renz’s Website: www2.redmond.k12.or.us/mccall/renz/ *Discoveryeducation.com/united streaming * brainpop.com * starfall.com mathdoodles.com bookadventure.com funbrain.com voicethread.com pbs.com scholastic.com mathattack.com aimsweb.com raz-kids.com earrobics.com/gamegoo * Denotes website with multiple survey entries. College of Education Reflection: Classroom technology is the future of education. Technology can help teachers and students grow stronger in all subject matters. However, a majority of teachers may lack proper training to keep up with the technology curve. Universities, school boards, and school districts in Idaho need to invest more money into proper technology training for current and future educators. Current economic times make it hard to even make this bold of a statement but every Smartboard installed into a classroom is nothing but a “glorified whiteboard” until we are properly taught how to use it. My favorite thing about compiling this data was gathering a list of wonderful websites and software programs from which myself, fellow student teachers, and the Riverside staff may benefit. http//cuip.net/images/kids www… Riverside’s Favorite Educational Software * Reader Rabbit * Read Naturally * Accelerated Reader Math Rabbit Earrobics DreamWeaver Think Analogies Ultra Key Inspiration Star Wars Math Photo Story 3 Word PowerPoint * Denotes software with multiple survey entries.