It is embarrassing to admit, especially as someone who loves computers, but I used an old overhead projector and transparencies during my first year of teaching. It doesn't seem possible that the "technology" of the 1950s was still acceptable in 2006 but I ended each day with transparencies to clean and fingers stained from Vis-a-Vis markers. Luckily, I was able to request a school laptop and LCD projector to borrow for my second year of teaching so my days of cleaning transparencies were short-lived.
Since then, Riverside has been dedicated to implementing several advances in technology and preparing teachers along the way. To supplement or replace old desktop computers, all HS teachers were given laptops in 2008. Then, only three years later, we began the 1:1 laptop initiative for all students in grades 9-12. Now we are essentially 1:1 with laptops, Chromebooks, iPads, and netbooks from grades 4-12. I'd say that is impressive for a small school in rural Iowa! We have not only the technology but also several days of professional development each year about technology use for instruction, assessment, and communication.
I really do love computers and I believe they can be used for so much more than just social networking and online shopping. There are many different ways to teach and learn with technology both in and out of the classroom. I began building this website in February 2013 - partly as a way to procrastinate from writing my thesis about the use of "blended learning" in my science classes. I had been disappointed by the format of the pre-made online modules my students used for blended learning in 2012 and I wanted to create my own compilation of online tools and videos for student learning.
There is still more work to be done here, but building this website has helped me to plan for and reflect upon instruction even more than before. It has helped me to refine my assessment strategies and focus on what I truly want students to be able to do when they learn science. I didn't expect all of this. I thought I would just be compiling resources to help students learn. But, as it turns out, this whole website has been a learning tool for me, too.
Since then, Riverside has been dedicated to implementing several advances in technology and preparing teachers along the way. To supplement or replace old desktop computers, all HS teachers were given laptops in 2008. Then, only three years later, we began the 1:1 laptop initiative for all students in grades 9-12. Now we are essentially 1:1 with laptops, Chromebooks, iPads, and netbooks from grades 4-12. I'd say that is impressive for a small school in rural Iowa! We have not only the technology but also several days of professional development each year about technology use for instruction, assessment, and communication.
I really do love computers and I believe they can be used for so much more than just social networking and online shopping. There are many different ways to teach and learn with technology both in and out of the classroom. I began building this website in February 2013 - partly as a way to procrastinate from writing my thesis about the use of "blended learning" in my science classes. I had been disappointed by the format of the pre-made online modules my students used for blended learning in 2012 and I wanted to create my own compilation of online tools and videos for student learning.
There is still more work to be done here, but building this website has helped me to plan for and reflect upon instruction even more than before. It has helped me to refine my assessment strategies and focus on what I truly want students to be able to do when they learn science. I didn't expect all of this. I thought I would just be compiling resources to help students learn. But, as it turns out, this whole website has been a learning tool for me, too.