Elementary Technology in the News
March 9, 2009
Great front-page story in today’s Grand Rapids Press:
Forget PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, these kids take high-tech to a new level … the classroom
by Kym Reinstadler | The Grand Rapids Press
Monday March 09, 2009, 11:09 AM
For 20 years, Patti Harju graded “weather reports” that were five neat sentences and a hand-drawn picture. That was then.
Today, the climate for showcasing learning is changing.
Think pupil podcasts, biology blogs and high-tech, video-integrated online reports.
College prep? Hardly. These days, it’s the very young students with access to technology who are leading the charge.
• Second-graders in East Grand Rapids videotape each other reading letters to President Barack Obama in front of a green screen. They superimpose these over photos of the White House to post on their e-newsletter.
• Elementary students in Hudsonville post poetry podcasts on their classroom blog.
• Fifth-graders in Hastings use a Glogster-based presentation to weave digital photographs, video and text into online reports.
“When it comes to creative classroom uses of new technologies, I think we’re seeing most at the elementary (level), not the high schools, like you might expect,” said Ron Houtman, educational technology consultant with the Kent Intermediate School District.
“The state’s new graduation requirements make high school curriculum more prescriptive, lock-step. There seems to be more time for technology in the lower grades.”
…for the rest of the article, click the link above.
My own thoughts: I’m thrilled to see teaching with technology on page A1 of a fairly large city newspaper. I’m not thrilled to see a local ed tech consultant saying that high schools are marching in such a lock-step, mandated manner that they can’t find time for using technology in the course of the school year.
Still, as more and more articles like this one are printed in newpapers around the country, you can’t help but think that just maybe we are getting somewhere…
Entry Filed under: Education, Elementary Education, Fifth Grade, Fourth Grade, Learning, Second Grade, Secondary Education, Students, Teaching, Third Grade, school, technology. .
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1.
Betty | March 21, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I love what young people are doing with technology. I asked an Air Conditioning man last week if he knew anything about computers. My laptop wasn’t working, and I was desperate. He laughed and told me that his kids (ages 7 and 9) did all of the tech work around his house. Kids will only be frustrated if they are not allowed to use technology in the classroom. It is so much a part of their lives.
2.
Alyssa Cook | April 5, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I really appreciated this blog. I am a college student going into elementary education, hoping to teach k-2 grades, and it was great to find a blog about using technology in younger classes. It has been somewhat difficult for me to find blogs about using technology is lower elementary classes because it seems to me to be more common in high classes. I’ve been somewhat confused in how to incorporate the use to technology in my future classes and this story really helped me with some ideas.
3.
Mary Katherine Moreland | April 21, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Technology is rapidly changing and continues to do so today. As new technology is made, it is brought into the classroom. It started out that the main technology used in a classroom was overhead projectors and search engines on the internet. Now, students are using blogs, hand held devices, video chats, smart boards, etc. Technology makes learning faster, more engaging, and more efficient. However, teachers need to make sure that they keep up with the new technology rapidly coming in to make the most of the teaching and learning experience. Kids are starting to learn how to use many different form of technology at a very young age which is good for the future.
4.
Jessica Wellman | May 6, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I am so glad to see a blog about educational technology. I am currently attending Walden University to attain my Master’s degree in Integrating Technology in the Classroom. I am a certified teacher for grades 1-6. I was surprised to read that second graders are video recording each other. I live in upstate New York and in my local school the “newest” technology we have received are smartboards. I completely agree that technology is a major thing in our world. I feel as educators, we must stay up to date with technology. I watched an educational DVD for my master’s class and the author of this specific chapter, Dr. David Thornburg made a great point. He states, “ No matter how powerful the technology is, if the person who is using it does not have the right mind set to use it effectively then the only thing that changes is the power consumption or the electric bill” (Laureate Education, 2008). I could really relate to this quote. In my community technology is lacking. I am sure if you asked our students about podcasting, wikis, and such they could tell you all about it. Now if you asked one of the teachers, I could almost bet they would have no idea. I will be the first to admit I am one of these teachers. Until this technology class, I knew nothing about podcasting, wikis, or even blogging. The reason I decided to get my masters degree in Integrating Technology in the Classroom is just for this reason. I have an intrinsic motivation for technology and would love to learn more about it in order to incorporate technology into my classroom. I feel by using technology in the classroom we are providing our students with more knowledge they will need to acquire for our rapidly changing world.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Programs 1-23. The Emergence of Educational Technology [Motion picture]. Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author.