Teaching with Technology
Don't be afraid --
The bits don't bite!
Created by: Martha Sells
Integrating technology into the classroom should not be scary. Some of us may feel intimidated in the beginning. But just remember - it can help us to close the gap between those students who have a great deal of difficulty learning, and those who are very advanced in their classroom capabilities.
Many innovative tools are available today to attract today's student. The WWW has sites to assist the hearing impaired, to help those with sight deficiencies, to make learning fun! There are sites for math, science, english, history -- all the subjects we teach our students. A list of some helpful websites can be found at the end of this book.
In addition to the learning sites, convenient and easily accessible communication can be attained between teacher, student and parent. Tools that can be used for this include wikis - a web tool that can be edited by all who read it; web logs (blogs) - another tool that can be used on the web that can be used to journal activities; and of course email and instant messaging.
And don't forget the old standby's - word processors, spreadsheets, presentation software, and databases. These, along with all mentioned above, can be utilized to create a digital learning environment for your students that will level the playing field for your class. So let's get started learning to use these exciting tools!
As promised, I have provided you with a list of useful websites to assist you in building your technology tool box. Here they are...
letterpop.com
Provides templates to assist you in making attractive flyers, newsletters, and other one-page documents.
signedstories.com
Users can "hear" books in sign language. Great for your hearing impaired students.
commoncraft.com
Houses videos that explain in plain English various technology tools.
voki.com
Build your own speaking Avatar!
atomiclearning.com
Provides short videos to demonstrate how to use various software programs.
This should give you a good start. More will come. Have fun exploring!
