Week 11 Field Experience

I observed Hooksett Memorial’s 4th Grade class.  Janet Champagne’s 4th grade class is a pilot Classroom in the Hooksett School District for a Model 21st Century Classroom.   Mrs Champagne shared with me her mrschampagnesgrade4blog ,  which she feels has helped increase communication with parents about what is going on in her classroom.

I observed Mrs Champagne’s room

• 11/27 from 1 pm to 3:30 pm

    On this day the class was working on a Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection.   The technology that was used with the Smart Board.    The lesson was part of the students Langauge Arts Curriculum and their Science Curriculum. Next week the students will be dissecting an actual owl pellet.     Students went up to the Smart Board and pulled off Parts of the Pellett and placed them on a diagram of a mousse.  The students were engaged in the process and asking a great deal of questions.   At 2:30, the class went computer lab next to the library to work on the Media Integration Specialist on their digital artifact they are working on to promote the state they choose to promote.  The Assignment is from the Social Studys curriculm and helping each student learn about their state.   Students either did a powerpoint presentation, a glogster, or a were using pages.  It was up to each student what they choose to use as their medium.  All of the students were very engaged going from library research they had with them, online research they had already booked marked or Research they were currently doing.

• on 11/ 28. 1:20 to 2:05, on this day the students were working on Laptops to right a letter to PenPals.  When I arrived there were 11 laptops were in use, 3 students were reading. 7 students were out of the class at a Flute lesson, 3 students came back from receiving support Services.   During the class.   2 students were giving an extra credit assignment for their Food Web Assignment.  Those students used IPADs.   During the course of the lesson, three students completed their letter to their pen pal signed off on the Laptop, gave it to another student who was waiting and got an IPAD to take an Accelerated Reader test On the IPAD.   One of the students receiving support services logged on to the teachers desk top to work on the assignment, one of the students was given a laptop from a student who was completed his letter, and the third student came with a district laptop from the Special Ed department because it has specific software loaded on it for the child’s disability.   Both the teacher, the resource room teacher and a para professional in the room commented that Technology is great as long as it is working and to always have a back up lesson plan for when it doesn’t.  

• 11/30 from 11 am to 12 noon

    On this day,  the students were presenting projects they had done while using IPADs.  The students were broken up into groups of three and they were presenting information on Food Webs and Food Chains.   The students IPAD presentation were linked to the Smart Board so that all of the students could see each groups work.  The students with the assistance of Mrs Champagne connected their Ipad to the Smart Board Projector.    One the presentations were completed, Mrs Champagne when over the students next Research Project which was based on the Imagine it Writing Services the students are currently working on.  Natures Delicate Balance.   There was a  Big Idea Board where students were to place the question they wanted to research.   It appeared not all students had done this and it was due this Monday.  Mrs Champagne explained that once everyone had an idea they would begin to reseach this using Laptops, Ipads, the Media Center, and their computer lap time.  It was also described what types of programs they would be able to present their final project on.

These are the three questions I presented to Mrs Champagne.  We both talked about them and then she emailed me her answers.  

1. How do Administrators assess if you are using technology and if the efforts to use technology are successful?  Our administrators have us write up a minimum of what they call "21st Century Lessons" in which we have to incorporate the elements of 21st century learning, which includes a technology component.  They also expect our evaluations to show that we are using technology in some of  our lessons; for example, using the computer labs, iPads, laptops, etc.   We are all expected to have a weekly computer lab scheduled as a minimum, with every other week instructed with Mrs. Beaudoin, so that we can learn some of the programs that she is "expert" in and can help us as educators, learn to use with our students.  We also have monthly meetings with admin (each teacher individually) to assess how things are going in the classroom
2. Does your technology have enough equipment available? 
   Not really, but we are working on it.  The laptop cart has 10 computers and is always in high demand;computers are old and don't work great.  10 iPads per grade level, and two working labs;one works well, the other, not so much.
3. Does the curriculum your district currently using offer suggestions on how to integrate technology in the class room?  All curriculum have technology sections and good ideas included.
4. How have you used technology to communicate with parents?   Parents have access to school's website and my blog Mrs Champagne's Block  
5. How do you handle when the Technology you are planning to use does not work?  When technology doesn't work, that's when the flexibility of being an effective teacher comes in.  In other words, ALWAYS have a back up plan that you can switch to in a moment's notice.

As my Digital Project, I decided to create a Student Jacob and have him talk about what being in a 21st Century Model Class meant to him.   How using Technology in his class helped him be a better students.  Because Voki only allows one minute of talking, it took three voki's to create what Jacob wanted to say. 

">Field Experience 1

">Field Experience II

">Field Experience III

A couple of items that were not covered in my presentation because I choose to do it from the perspective of a child and not me.   My personal thoughts on Technology in 2012 and beyond have not changed a lot during this class.  What has changed is my knowledge about what kids of technology are available in the world.  Due to my involvement in my children's  school and being a member of the Hooksett School Board.  I know a lot about the Hardware but not as much about what programs were available and how they could be used to get children excited about learning and show them how to apply what they were learning.   I believe education and society are faced with a delicate balance in regards to how to effective use technology but not loose human contact.  I believe that NETS for Students will help direct us toward the balance we need to find with using technology as opposed to over using technology.    They are the beginning of guiding us toward what students need to learn to have an every changing world. 

I found being in the classroom and watching how technology is used in the classroom very helpful.  It gave a real world application to what we are learning in class.