Incorporating New Digital Tools

Digital Cameras: I would like to use Digital Cameras in my classroom because I think it would be beneficial to students to be able to familiarize with different technologies. Some activities can be done using a digital camera, but not the whole project done, but examining different objectives in the whole project. Also I would like to use digital cameras because some children in the classroom may come from low-income homes and they may not get to use these new emerging technologies and it would give those children a chance to explore technology in a whole new perspective. An example of a project that could be used in the classroom would be going to the zoo, dividing the classroom into groups of 4 or 5, and having each group use a digital camera to take a picture of a given animal. Like group #1 would have elephants, group #2 would have penguins, etc. and they would have to use their picture to write a little report on that animal and how they live, eat, sleep, and even play! I also would like to incorporate a webcam into the classroom, providing that I have permission from the school and parents of children in my classroom. I have always thought that having pen-pals with another classroom in the U.S. would have a fun activity to do. We could write letters back and forth and then eventually lead up to seeing what it is like in a different classroom across the states.

Touch Screen Computers: Touch screens can be used for prereaders and children who learn by seeing and touching. I am not sure though how to really incorporate learning by using the touch screens. I know that if I were to have a couple of computers in the classroom they could be used as a reward of finishing their work or doing all of their homework, tiny things like that. As I grew up we always had at least 1 computer in the classroom. I remember taking reading tests on it and sometimes if we got super lucky we could play some learning games on it.

Electronic Whiteboards: I never had the chance to have an electronic whiteboard in my classroom but most of the classrooms I have been in have them now. I would like one in my classroom because it is a fun way for children to interact in the classroom. Instead of using a chalkboard, like back in the old days, we could use the whiteboard to play word games like hangman, tic-tac-toe, and we can also have some learning time by taking notes. Previous teachers, that have had whiteboards in their classroom, have used them for board races and for taking notes, although this was at a high school level. I guess with having a whiteboard we would need to have a projector and an Elmo. For those of you reading this that don’t know what an Elmo is, it’s a projector that is like an overhead projector except it doesn’t use light to project.

Speakers and Headphones: I think having sets of headphones in the classroom is a good idea because it allows the students to listen to books being read to them without having all the background noise. As a student I couldn’t read/pay attention if there were all kinds of different noises in the background. Speakers in the classroom could help with getting children to express themselves. Letting instrumental music play in the background could help those students who don’t like silence focus and potentially do better than without music.