The attached was part of a presentation made before
the NYSCSS CONVENTION on Thursday, March 14, 2001
Questions to ask ourselves:
1. What are our instructional goals?
2. How should we view the use of technology?
- What is real integration?
- Can technology help us to meet these instructional goals?
3. How can technology help improve student outcomes?
4. How can technology help us to improve communication with
parents?
5. What is the role of email for teachers?
6. What web based teacher assistance exist to help improve
instruction and assessment? (Filamentality, RubiStar, Other sites)
7. What is the role of the teacher web site? How can I make
one easily?
8. How can teacher productivity software help make teachers
more efficient? (School Maestro, EXAMgen)
9.Sharing of Best Practices
General Educational Goals:
- Improve student outcomes
- Motivate students
- Inspire creativity
- Enhance communication with parents
- Allow for divergent learning styles
- Differentiate instruction
- Provide intervention services for students at risk
- Enhance teacher efficiency
What is the role of technology in our classrooms?
- Technology is a tool in the tool box, not the motor that
drives education.
- Technology works best when it is truly integrated.
- Integration means you do not really have to think about "doing
technology." It is just something you do!
- Technology should not be used just to say you use technology,
it must have purpose.
How can technology help improve student outcomes?
- Teachers can develop lessons that reach students with
different learning styles. Try finding songs, pictures and art
work. You can even have students create presentations, web sites
and images.
- It can assist us in differentiating instruction. Developing
work at varying levels is easier if handouts and exams are word
processed. Group and individual lessons using web sites can be
specifically geared to students' needs.
- Technology, specifically word processing, speech recognition,
lap tops and PDAs can provide assistive technology for students
with disabilities.
- The Internet clearly has revolutionized student research. In
some ways this has been for the better and in some ways worse.
- There are wonderful web sites and software packages that
students can use to help themselves. For example, CASTLE software
makes a database program that students can use to practice regents
questions. In addition, the Oswego City School district has
created a wonderful web site for web based Regents prep.
- The Internet has been of great help with DBQs. Students and
teachers can find documents to create their own DBQs. Large screen
demonstrations easily bring images into the classroom.
- Many students find presentations such as PowerPoint and live
cam web sites motivating. They are not, however, replacements for
the dynamic quality of the blackboard. For example, show the class
a live web feed of the Panama Canal!
- Using grade book programs, like the one I will show later,
students can be kept more up to date of their academic progress.
When they see their grades evolve they tend to be more focused.
How can technology help us to improve communication
with parents and students?
What is the role of email for teachers?
- Teacher productivity software like School Maestro put grade
reports on line for free. Providing parents with easy access to
information helps them to stay informed.
- Using email to communicate with parents helps us to get in
touch with working and single parent families.
- Consider allowing students to email you missing homework or to
ask questions. Be aware of the dangers of doing this and act
accordingly.
- Having students access their grades on line is a powerful
motivational tool.
- Teacher web sites, as we will discuss, can be a hub for
communication with parents and students.
What web based teacher assistance exists to help improve
instruction and assessment? (Just a few, this is a whole
session by itself!)
- Filamentality - create a web quest using a simple template.
- RubiStar - create and print your own rubric.
- National Archives and Records Administration - thousands of
documents and images.
- Thousands of other web sites
What is the role of the teacher web site? How can I make one
easily?
- The teacher web site becomes a hub for communication between
teachers, parents and students.
- You can provide access to grades on line, homework
assignments, review sheets, notes, extra credit projects and
anything else you can imagine.
- Teacher web sites can be free and easy to set up.
How can teacher productivity software help make teachers
more efficient?
- School Maestro, or other grade book programs save hours and
hours of time come report card time. They are easier to use than
ever and quite flexible. School Maestro will also post grades on
line for free... and it's as simple as the click of a button!
- Test bank generator programs like EXAMgen save countless
hours. Visit them at
http://www.examgen.com.