Task+6-+Recommendations

Task 6: Recommendations

The survey that I administered to the 4th and 5th grade students allowed me to gain an understanding of their knowledge and comfort level with technology. Out of the 23 students that I surveyed (as a sample of the 3 classes that I am working with) all of them use some sort of technology in their classrooms at least one day a week. The majority of the students also said they are at least somewhat comfortable with using technology. The one question that I asked that really helped me develop my recommendations was what kind of technology activities would you like to use in your classroom. I used this information that was gathered from this question to develop my three recommendations:

1. Incorporate the CPS Clickers in more lessons to enhance student participation. The Clickers can be used in any subject matter or can be used to help review for an upcoming test.

2. Use Microsoft PowerPoint to have students create their own PowerPoint. PowerPoint can be used to allow students to present information in a different way and allows them to be creative in doing so.

3. Have students help create a class website. A class website is a way to get students involved. A website can be beneficial because it keeps both students and parents updated with what is going on in class. Students can post their work or see what work this missed if they are absent.


 * CPS Clickers: **

CPS Clickers are a form of technology that can be used to actively involve students in their learning. Clickers are easy to use but must be supplied by the school. The clickers work using a sensor that registers each individual child’s answer. Everyone gets a clicker and they can respond without their classmates knowing if their answer is right or wrong. This is a really nice aspect of the clickers because it encourages more students to participate and they will know if their answer was correct or not when the answer is revealed.

I know the clickers have been used already to review for MSA in the 4th and 5th grade classes that I am working with. However, clickers can also be incorporated in different lessons that the teacher can create to meet the needs of their class. There are multiple resources online that teachers can use to access different lessons or they can create their own lessons. These student response systems can be very beneficial in getting those quiet students to participate.


 * Microsoft PowerPoint: **

Microsoft PowerPoint is a program that allows information to be presented in a different way than just the normal paper and pencil. This program can be used in any subject matter to help students present information. Students could present information about Earth Day or about a person they are researching for a biography. There is no limit to what can be presented in a PowerPoint presentation and it allows students to be creative in how they are representing their information.

This is an easy program to use that is easily accessible to any computer with Microsoft Office. It is a program that can be used in any grade level. A PowerPoint is an easy way to show information and can be easily shared with others.


 * Class Website: **

Creating a classroom website for your class can be a very fun way for students to get involved with their learning. They can be very motivational for students if they know that their work can be shared online with family and friends. The teacher may need to be the one to initially create the website and then students can contribute to it.

There are multiple resources online that provide step by step instructions to help you create a website. The nice part of a classroom website is that it shows what is taking place in the classroom. It can be used to display pictures of a field trip or learning taking place and it can provide reminders about upcoming events.