ANYWAYS
So in the beginning of the Fall semester we were given a Tech Survey. The survey had a large array of choices to think of....NONE which match what Ypsilanti High School contained/used. I mean, why didn't they just ask the simple questions of "Does your school have a board? Does your school have a computer?" I felt like the questions asked I had no choice to say "No." I felt a bit concerned for my school because I couldn't answer the questions. But Ypsilanti High is not THAT bad. There are ELMOS and MAC labs and large MAC desktops for teachers and overhead projectors and portable projectors....thats a lot of tech!
My mentor teacher is a big fan of using the ELMO or Projector to make students copy guided notes or the answers to worksheets. I really think she likes this because the lights get turned off,the students are too busy and focused copying what she is writing and everything is quiet. My mentor teacher likes it quiet, as opposed to heavy chatter...but who doesn't?
HOWEVER, although this is nice...I grow concerned for its effectiveness. I mean, yes, students mostly do what they're told, and when they copy down notes they copy down the notes. But does the information stick? Their quizzes and tests show that they stick only an average of 70% of the time (the approximate grade average in chemistry).
I think in the next year I'll try to get STUDENTS using the tech. I really hope I can push for students to use their cellphones for Polls. I love love love the polls that you can text, and I think students would love it too. Like students walk into the classroom on their phones anyways...maybe we can use them for Bell work!
We shall see!
