I figured my "Dream Classroom" diagram would embarrassingly expose my lack of awareness about tech possibilities for a high school English classroom. Screen, projector, speakers, wireless internet - these just are the basics, right?
You already know where I'm doing my student teaching, so I won't post the name of the school on this blog. And it's not really the school's fault anyway that our classroom has a 25-year old TV and chalkboards. Our room wasn't used as a traditional classroom before this fall; other classes in the building are equipped with SmartBoards. The staff will even start using the PowerSchool system this fall for records, so the school is not entirely a technological wasteland.
Still, it's a bit disheartening to think that I might have to drag in a tech cart to give a PowerPoint presentation, play audio, or show a movie clip. And chalk? I've been sneezing like crazy for the last three days. (and for the record, my former school had speakers and a projector in every classroom. Now that I lack both, I'm sorry for complaining about that in a previous post.)
Nobody wants to be a downer in the first week of school, so I'm waiting optimistically for the possibilities presented in the Cell Phones in the Classroom seminar (Friday). Furthermore, I haven't worked extensively on the "Technology in my Placement" survey, so I might find a nice media center / computer lab somewhere in the building. My cooperating teacher and I are keeping our fingers crossed that tech services will move one of the unused SmartBoards to our classroom.
Teaching Without Technology
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
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3 comments:
Hi Katie
Unfortunately, I think most classrooms are much more like the one you are in than our "umich" luxuries! With that said, I hope you were able to find a few (maybe just ChaCha...) options that might work for cell phones in your environment. Actually with the limited resources, cell phones might be a really good option. Keep us posted!
Have you had an opportunity to use the smartboard before even though you don't have one in your class? I'm not sure how they work (though I'm sure Google knows) and would love to hear any personal thoughts you have about them. The idea of the smartboard is pretty interesting to me, but I'd like to know if they're really as mystical and all-solving as they seem?
Katie,
This situation really makes you appreciate your high school doesn't it? I know that it may seem like a hassle to drag a tech cart, but try and stay optimistic..at least they have a tech cart. When I get in disappointing situations I just try and think of something that could be worse (e.g. teaching in a straw hut in Africa) and everything just seems to get a little bit better. Hope that helps..
Shannon
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