Brian, Reflection

http://www.edutopia.org/php/article.php?id=Art_415
This online video talks about an elementary school called Sherman Oaks which is a charter school in San Jose, California. At this school the students have a large amount of access to computers and can use one whenever they need it. It said that the students do not need to go to a lab and that all of the technology resources were available in the class room. The classroom also has access to scanner that the students could put a photograph of him/her on the computer and edit it with paint or another program.
The class also uses e-mail a lot to stay informed on what are some of the goals and what are some of the other important things discussed in class. E-mail connects every staff member to the administration and each other. It said in the video that if someone did not check their e-mail that often that they could miss something important.
The last thing that the class has is the teacher’s computer which is linked up to the TV which has a touch screen option so students can work. This is good because the class can look upon what the teacher wants to have them look at with little time used in writing something down on the board. Students can also go to the teacher’s computer and show the rest of the class something from a project or something from their notes. This is a helpful technology that is a good thing for students of all levels.
The technology in this video seems student centered with them using it most of the time. The few technological things that teachers had include e-mail and the linked TV. The students have a lot more things that they can willingly use.
Preparations to lessons plans that would need to implement these technologies without creating distractions. With this much access to the computer many students could become easily distracted by the thought of being able to go on the computer and surf the web. As a teacher the best way to avoid this is by making your lesson plans involve the use of some of this technology with slight regularity. This can be helpful because the student not only becomes technologically literate, but he/she becomes more interested in the lesson. Ways to judge how well they are using the time on the computer is by having them take assessments to make sure that they are not wasting time that they are given on the computer. Ways to assess what students are learning is by taking assessments that involve judging typing speed and overall technology literacy.
The biggest challenge that a teacher would have when integrating new technology is teaching the students how to use it. If it is a new technology then many students would possibly be illiterate of these things. Another thing that would be a problem is getting the students to use them. If the students do not like the technology, or feel that it is not needed then they would ignore the new technology and it would be a waste of resources to bring it into the classroom.