Technology Education and Resources

Monday, June 25th, 2012
12:30pm

Our first presentation following lunch was by Elena De La Rosa, a technology teacher from Kate Bell Elementary School here in Houston.  This presentation was extremely amazing and packed full of technological resources to use in the classroom - there were so many that I couldn't even write them all down.

Ms. De La Rosa has her own website with all of the links and tools we learned in her presentation. You can find that at http://bellteacherpd.pbworks.com .  In this post, I will go over the ideas and specifics that I found most important and stimulating. 

Some useful tips from Ms. De La Rosa:

• Back up everything.  Technology doesn't always work.  The last thing you want when you are about to give a presentation to a class full of engaged student is malfunctioning technology.  This means not only backing up all of your files (I've been there with a dead hard drive, it's absolutely NO fun), but it also means having the lesson you are presenting in multiple forms, including a thumb drive, on the computer, via e-mail, or in hard copy.  This way, if one of the ways malfunctions, you still have other options to provide the students with the information and keep them involved.
• "Good technology is characterized by how and why technology is used, NOT by the amount or type of technology."  This means that you should be using technology to enhance instruction, not supplement it because you know you should be using it or the districts expect you to.
• Read the books that your students are reading.  Connect with them and influence their choice to read by discussing the characters, plot lines, and details of the books.  Stay updated with what the students enjoy so that you can keep them involved in the instruction.
• Always use rubrics.  Remember, parents and students can't argue with rubrics.

Important Resources:

• ZACbrowser - this is a program designed by a grandfather with a grandson with autism.  The point was to target children with autism, other disabilities on the autism spectrum disorder, and disabilities that cause short attention spans.  The program is a modified version of the internet, where you give the students specific websites or activities they can complete on a simplified, easy-to-use interface.  The students are only able to access those activities, and they can not get to any other part of the computer (the teacher must 'unlock' the program using a code).  Although this was designed to keep students with disabilities on-task, it is a great way to keep all students on task and minimize other website and computer distractions, as well as potential harm to the computer (viruses, program/file deletions, etc).

• KidBlog - this is a website that allows teachers and students to create and keep up with their own personal blogs in a user-friendly way.  This website was highly recommended by Ms. De La Rosa.  Any traditional pencil-paper activities can be modified to be in blog form, and it can also be used for a writing journal, peer editing, e-portfolios, or many other ways.

• Tux Paint - Tux Paint is a FREE art software that is comparable (and rumored to be better) to Kid Pix.

• Celestia - This is a free program that allows you to explore different parts of space, including planets, stars, asteroids, and more, using 3-D imaging.  It is an awesome website, and is sure to captivate students of any age, as well as peak their interest in science, technology, and the space program.

• GradePads - Although Ms. De La Rosa showed us many iPad apps to use for the classroom, one that stood out was called GradePads.  This is a really good resource for easy grading and tracking.  I don't yet have an iPad, but because of the numerous supports for students with autism available, I am hoping to save up for one during my first year of teaching.