Best+Examples+of+Instructional+Activities+of+Student+Engagement+Through+Technology

Best Examples Description  This assignment was meant to for us to think about what our best examples are of including technology in the classroom and in our lessons. This activity was meant for us to think about how to include technology in our classrooms. I think that instructional technology means including technology in your instruction in the classroom. It means getting the students involved in their learning by using technology as a means to access the information.

Process and Explanation  I decided to use these examples of technology in the classroom because I think that these are the lessons that the students really enjoyed the most. I really enjoyed working with the ComicLife story board. I got this idea to include in the classroom because the students were getting bored with just writing essays and stories on paper and pencil, so I decided to do something different. I decided to let them use a Comic strip to create their story and make it more interesting for them and for myself. I think that this is a great example because it incorporated the computer, the internet, and taking pictures and putting them all together into one project. I also decided that the google docs assignment was a great example of using technology in the classroom. I came up with this assignment because I wanted the students to be able to use the childrenslibrary site but also to create a final project after reading. After going through my last class and learning about google docs I thought this was the perfect opportunity to use this site and to have them practice skills that we have learned in the class. I think that this is a good example of incorporating technology in the classroom because the students first had to use the computer and the internet to read a whole story. After they were done reading they had to use the googledocs application to fill in answers and create a story map of the whole story, all the while working with a partner. The students really enjoyed this assignment and have asked to work again doing this.

Reflection I thought that my lessons were really good examples of how to include technology in the classroom. I really had to stop and think about my two best examples because I try to include technology somewhere each day with the students. I think that I chose my two best examples because these are the two assignments that the students have requested to do again, and actually enjoyed creating. I have noticed in some readings about technology in the classroom that main theme is that the technology needs to be the main source of inspiration. These lessons I have centered around technology, not technology being an extra think to do if they have time. I think that teachers should have the attitude that the lessons should be technology driven and not just a supplement. 

Description The first lesson is designed for writing. The students needed to create a story with a problem and a solution. However, the story needed to be in the form of a comic using the application ComicLife. The second lesson is designed for reading. Students need to read a story using the website www.childrenslibrary.com with a partner. Once they were done reading they were to login into their googledocs application and complete the assignemtn of storymap and questions about the story. When they were completed they were to regroup and discuss the book.

Links  media type="file" key="bestexamplepodcast.mp3"