Wednesday, May 23, 2007
SEFE 230-02 Blog
I have just finished my student teaching at West Hill Elementary in Sharon Pa. I had a sixteen week placement in a first grade classroom. In this district the students have a technology class once a week for forty-five minutes. Because of my longer placement, I was able to see what first graders were doing throughout several months. From what I had viewed, the ONLY items ever talked about or printed out from technology were pictures using a program that has picture stamps. Sometimes it would have their names typed at the top but mostly just scribbles. Now don't get me wrong, I know they are still little, but I'm sure they could be doing something more beneficial. At my job, which is in the same district but after-school, we have the students do twenty minutes a day of a program called Plato. It has games and questions focusing on each child's specific level. This is something I think the children should be doing during technology. Or have them exploring new technology like the ones discussed in our read and respond articles. I think schools really need to focus on what they are doing in that short time period that the students are actually exposed to technology.
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2 comments:
So, what did you think of the PPT project created by the first graders I taught? They wrote, typed, photographed, created the entire presentation as a way to enhance their emerging literacy skills. They are students in a school that targets at-risk kids. Many of them have learning challenges. We really worked hard to engage them in wanting to become literate. Is that situation better/worse/the same as what you observed? What recommendations could you provide for overcoming the technology barrier? Why do you think the class you observed is doing so little with technology?
I really enjoyed your 1st grade activity. I knew what you were coving and how it effected the children's learning. I'm not sure why they do so little with technology. It was always just creating pictures. I wondered why nothing else was ever done. I would say a recommendation might be changing the curriculum, bringing up to the administrators, and finding a way to make the most of that time period.
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