How long have you been teaching?
I have been teaching for 14 years at school #14, the Abraham Lincoln School in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Third Grade has been my home for all but two of those years. Last year I was a teacher tutor for third grade and this year is he first time I have been teaching fourth grade. I am currently participating in the Star-W Grant for infusion of technology in the reading and writing process. Using technology in my classroom has been a goal of mine. I have created a few WebQuests for my students that we use throughout the year. By far our class favorite is the Judy Blume WebQuest ( http://www.geocities.com/nguyenld2003/index.html ) I created. We usually do this while reading one of our favorite Blume books!
What is the best thing about using technology in your classroom?
The best thing about using technology in the classroom is it gives both the children and me more access to information. Students and teachers used to be stuck with just what was inside the classroom walls. Now, the sky is the limit! Using technology in my classroom allows my students to further use their imaginations in ways of presenting and learning.
How does technology benefit your students?
The portable laptop cart has been great. The technology benefits the students by putting the responsibility of choice in their hands. They can help chose the assignments in some cases as well as work with a variety of things that would not be available without the computers. I use computers daily in the classroom. We search the internet for information to enhance learning as well as communicate with other classes in the country We are also beginning to use scanners and cameras in the class.
How has technology helped with differentiation of instruction?
Technology has helped with differentiating instruction because I can have the students work on the same subject but on different levels. At the same time, this has allowed them to choose what they need to work on with only my guidance, again giving them more choice.
Do you use rubrics in your classroom?
I use rubrics for some of the assignments that I give them. It helps them in choice m
aking because they know beforehand what is expected of them. If they know what is expected they can check to be sure they have the correct information and arrangement so they can increase the grade they receive.
How are you and your students using technology in your classroom?
My students love using Microsoft PowerPoint and so do I! I use PowerPoint to post instructions, examples and writing prompts on my TViator in my classroom. While learning about the state of New Jersey, I created a PowerPoint presentation with resources and instructions for my students.(download presentation in Powerpoint format and save it to your hard drive for later viewing). My students have the option to use PowerPoint to present information in various subjects. One student created a PowerPoint on Bergen County, New Jersey (download presentation). It was one out of three options for presenting information about the county in New Jerse
y they chose to research. We use Microsoft Excel to create graphs in Math , Microsoft Word to type our writing prompts and even to create learning centers as one of the New Jersey Project choices.
