Using 1:1 Technology in the Classroom

Technology in the classroom seems like such a daunting task with everything coming full force in these past few years. There are so many new methods out there, and a whole bunch of people telling you to integrate all of them at the same time. The transition from paper to pixels isn't always easy, but when you are able to find resources or ideas that make it easier, they are worth giving a try.

After reading a blog called "Ten Simple Ways to Integrate Technology in the Classroom" by Mandy Neal on Upper Elementary Snapshots, I am inspired by the small and easy ways that technology can be brought into a 1:1 classroom environment. Some of the ways that stood out to me include using Kahoot as a tool for reviewing for tests, through creating a Google form for students to choose their lunch each day, and through the use of sites like Wonderopolis to have students reflect on things they find.
When I was a Junior in high school, our school became 1:1 with Chromebooks, and for the first time ever students didn't have to go to the library or computer lab to type their papers or do their homework. I remember thinking it was the best thing ever that I no longer needed permission to Google search something, or even check my email. I felt like the world lay in the palms of my hands. Little did I know that an even better thing was yet to come: Kahoot, an online test reviewing site.
Kahoot was a huge hit at our high school! It was an incredibly easy thing for teachers to create, and it made reviewing for a test 10x more fun and easy. I liked how Kahoot makes it a competition between the students, and how it displays who's in the lead after each question. This promoted a friendly competition while taking the focus off of the test. When I have a classroom someday, I want to use Kahoot as much as possible because I know that by using this game-like review system students will get a lot more out of their studying for a test.

The Google form for lunch ideas is a really simple one, yet ingenious. When I was in Elementary school, we always spent at least 5 minutes in the morning going through our alphabetized list and telling our teacher whether we were eating hot or cold. Now while this method works fine, I think that by integrating the computers the students will be really excited and enjoy the time they get to use their computers to communicate with the teacher. Also, by using the Google form, teachers will have easy access to the results and will save a lot of time. When I have a classroom, I would like to use a method like this because the students love any excuse to use technology, and it would be an organized way to get things done.

Finally, I really love the idea of using sites like Wonderopolis because it's a consistent thing that students can spend time doing every and incorporate both technology and writing into it at the same time. I think if I did this in my classroom, I would have them use their computers to get on Wonderopolis and then ask them to hand write their responses in their journals so that they get to practice writing at the same time. This would be a great example of using technology as a supplement, and not as something that takes over for something else that is equally important.

Because of technology, the world is forever changed, and students of tomorrow will be different as well. They crave technology and don't know the world without it so why fight against them? By finding easy ways to implement technology, their cravings are satisfied, and we help raise the next generation to be creative, collaborative thinkers.


Image by Upper Elementary Snapshots