In the June/July 2010 issue of Leading & Learning, an article titled "Bootcamp Builds Tech Fitness", the author talks about her use of a fully integrated technology classroom. Every subject she teaches in her kindergarten classroom is done using digital tools. For fitness the students get to play with the Nintendo Wii, playing sport games that reinforce them to be active and move around. Along with this for subjects such as English, the students have penpals that they talk to each week via webcam and also through text. For art the teacher used games such as cranium which forces the students to create things out of clay and the other students to guess what they are creating. For social studies, she had the students use Google and Yahoo to search for and read up on daily events that they would then later discuss in the class.
I find it very cool that this teacher was able to fully integrate technology into her classroom for her students to use. She not only did it for one subject, but all the subjects she teaches throughout the day. I can see how this would be a very tough challenge to make sure the students were getting the most information they could out of the different activities they were doing. Beyond this, I like the idea that they are being interactive and proactive about their learning. Rather than just listening to their teacher talk at the head of a classroom they get to choose how they learn to an extent. I really think it allows for the teacher to be very flexible in how they want to teach certain subjects and allows them to be very creative.
This article covers all the NETS standards, this teacher is able to give the students multiple different technologies. They are able to be creative, practice digital citizenship, proper usage, searching for information on their own and also they get to use new technologies and show their proficency.
Mcgagna-Mcbee, C. (2010). Boot camp builds tech fitness. Learning & Leading, 37(June/July), 36-37. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2010.aspx
I think this is a great way to use technology in fitness form. I can only imagine how much more we would of enjoyed our classes if they had been taught like this. The reason this works so well in my opinion is because the teacher is playing on a topic that all kids enjoy. I can see this model being implemented into a lot of classrooms now that it has finally been tested. For years students have always said they want something they can connect with in their classrooms and this seems like a perfect fit.
ReplyDeleteIt is very impressive that this teacher was able to find a way to incorporate technology in all of the subjects. Using Nintendo Wii in PE was a very clever idea because that is one subject you just don't think about using technology in. In expanding the use of technology to extra-carricular activities, in our case football, it is also amazing how technology has infiltrated into sport with programs like Hudl to watch film on. I wonder how far off the day is where iPad's can be used on the sideline in games.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that even though it is interesting, I do not agree with this teaching method. I do not thinking that teaching every single subject with the use of technology is what I would choose to do as a kindergarten teacher. I would like students especially at that age to learn to solve problems with many tools available, not just technological tools. Also, children should also be encouraged to run around and get exercise during the day, and doing everything with technology would impede that. Many children are naturally attracted to computers and they would play with them all day to the neglect of other activities. Kids need to learn to rely on themselves and in what they know, and not only depend on computers for problem solving.
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