Allen Elementary
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
Reflection
"Technology shouldn't overwhelm you, it should open your mind." -Samsung Digital
I was hesitant to be a part of the MiTTEN experience. I had integrated technology quite a bit in my classroom, but was intimidated by the e-portfolio. I also had never had a student teacher and wanted to make her experience as meaningful as possible. Despite my fears, my experience with MiTTEN could not have worked out better!
Using technology added so much to the unit on The Circulatory System. Ms. Guibord searched for various web sites and the students enjoyed graphing their pulse rates on Excel. The letter to our principal, Mrs. Moore, helped with their writing skills and the final assessment that the students did on PowerPoint was wonderful. We also tried to do as many "hands on" activities as we could. The class investigated how the heart worked and did a great job of showing oxygen rich and oxygen poor blood with blue and red balloons. I was amazed that the smartest students took a back seat as some of their peers grasped the concept quicker by "doing" not reading.
We did have our ups and downs. We teach two classes back to back because of team teaching. It was definitely apparent that my class had done more with technology. The other class had a higher learning curve and much time was spent explaining the process of using the various programs instead of concentrating on the project. Our server has a tendency to go down, the filter that protects the children from undesirable sites failed repeatedly and with thirty-three students in each class, just finding enough computers to work on at one time was a challenge. We also have to sign up for lab time and making sure that both classes had time in the lab, did not make us popular with other teachers. However, it was worth the effort. The students’ grasp of The Circulatory System, as shown through their PowerPoint presentations, is amazing.
The e-portfolio was a struggle, but with Ms. Guibord’s help, I got through it. Having her in the classroom was a blessing for both my students and myself. She quickly became the technology expert in our building, especially in our wing. With her inspiration, I am applying for a grant to purchase a Smart Board. She made me be a better user of technology and a better teacher. I will use the lesson plans again in my classroom and will continue to strive to integrate technology whenever possible in ALL subjects.