ISTE-NETS for teachers Standard #2

Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences

This standard means that in the classroom, teachers should make the students aware of and allow the students to use technology in the everyday activities. Students should be "hands on" with technology.

In my classroom, I try to always included some type of activity that requires the students to use parts and pieces of technology. Each day we do editing using the smart board. The students go to the board and make the corrections.

I pull up interactive "games" with our math and science. The kids do the interaction with the board.

When we do reports (book, science...) the kids have the choice of doing the pencil and pencil, or they can create a power point, or type the reports. They use the different types of software( Kids pix, Graph club, Stationary Studio...)to publish their work with.

Each year we teach the kids how to create a power point and then they do a "famous South Carolina" research/power point that they present to the class. This is a way for them to learn a new skill and then practice it. The knowledge they gain through this assignment allows then to successfully use their technology knowledge and apply it to other assignments during the year.

In the computer lab, we use Bernie's Typing. This program teaches the kids the correct way(using the home keys) to keyboard.We use this program to practice keyboarding for about fifteen minutes every computer session.

Kids learn at home when they are interacting with their gameboys, Wi, computer games...so it just makes sense to let them have the same type of practice at school in a more structured and educational way.

I have three computers in my room. In the mornings, I have centers. Computers are a center in my room. What ever subject we are working on ...I find some type of interactive "game" that they can "play" on the computers during center time.

The computers in my room are not used as an early finisher activity, if I did that, I would have students rushing through their work trying to get to the computers. I also do not allow that because only the 'bright children" would be going to the computers. I don't want the kids to see the computer as a reward.

To have everyone at the computers, more than just at center time, when students have "I wonder" questions, I tell them to go to the computer and use one of the school supported reference software programs to find the answer to their question and share with the class.