Using Tech in the Classroom

Integrating technology into the classroom:

The ultimate goal remains the same: to give students 21st century college and career skills, provide more choice in their learning, and to make learning as authentic as possible through "real world" applications. Technology in the classroom provides more opportunities to reach the goal; however, it is a change in practice for teachers and students.

Change can be hard, overwhelming, messy and many times frightening!

At GM we have a plan to help everyone transition successfully:

  • Student workshops to improve skills
  • Parent seminars and communication about keeping students safe in a digital world
  • Weekly training/professional development to staff
  • On-site Google Certified Trainer to support students, parents and staff

SAMR model for technology integration

In the beginning stages of technology integration, you will often see lessons in the "enhancement" phase. This is fantastic as it gives your students the 21st technology skills they will need in the future in college and a career. As we continue to progress, we will move into the "transformation" phase, where students will have even more choice and opportunity to create their own work. We look forward to taking this journey together.

Monitor student understanding:

Remember when you would take a quiz and get the results a day later (if you were lucky)? Imagine receiving immediate feedback, telling you if you got the answer right or wrong; imagine getting clarification from the teacher immediately for wrong answers. 1:1 technology makes this possible. Teachers can use a variety of tech tools to know instantly what students understand and what they don't. This information allows teachers to adjust instruction as needed and differentiate for students' different levels of understanding.

Peardeck:

Peardeck is like a PowerPoint presentation, but with questions that students answer along the way to instantly show class comprehension. This keeps students engaged, and can monitor class and individual student comprehension, allowing teachers to adjust instruction as needed, based on their understanding.

Kahoot:

Kahoot is a game that asks multiple choice questions. This can be used for a review before a test, to check for comprehension of a newly introduced topic, or even used to introduce new topics through a strategy called a "blind Kahoot." No matter how it is played, this makes learning fun and gives teachers valuable information on which students are understanding the information and which ones need additional help.

Socrative:

An option for quizzing students for comprehension in a more traditional quiz format. Teachers can immediately show quiz results to the class in order to identify misconceptions and misunderstandings. Results are downloadable by the teacher as well.

Google Forms and Flubaroo:

When teachers need more complex features and information, a combination of Google Forms and Flubaroo can be used in the classroom which can grade addional types of questions. Teachers can use this data to inform their instruction.