Teacher Interview

Sandy is a third grade teacher who has mixed feelings about technology in the classroom. She thinks technology gives her and her students the opportunity of finding new and different ways to teach and learn, but feels it can limit some of the students’ creativity. Sandy has several options that she can use to teach her students. The types of technology available in her classroom include three Mac computers, a projector, TV, a DVD/VCR player, a laptop, and CD’s & DVD’s. She has access to numerous websites and web based tutorials.  While there are only three computers in her classroom she as has access to a mobile computer lab which allows all 23 of her students the use of laptops.  The school also has a computer lab.

Kidspiration is integrated into her teaching. It helps her students become stronger readers, more proficient writers and helps them build a better understanding of math. In her school assessments start in third grade. She uses the Kan-Ed handbook and CD’s to prepare her students for the assessments. AR (Accelerated Reader) and AM (Accelerated Math) are used by her students. In AR the children choose a book to read. The students enter the information about the book into the computer and they will be given 5 questions to test their retention of the book.  In AM they children fill-in their answers from the math test on a bubble sheet, run it though the scanner, which is connected to the computer and the results of the test are printed for the teacher and the student to see the results instantly. After the first quarter of the school year parents will be able to log on and see the scores of their child’s AR and AM scores.

There is a computer projector in her classroom. Sandy uses her laptop to display DVD’s and websites to her students through the projector.  Once she has found information for the students to use she can print directly from her laptop to the copier in the front office.  Clickers are used in her classroom. Four times a year the students are given two district wide tests and clickers are used to obtain the answers. The district compiles the results of all the schools in the district and presents the results to the schools at district meetings.  Sandy tells me the district is very supportive of the current technology and encourages the teachers to find new ways of integrating technology into their classrooms.

Sandy believes students learn by using hands on approaches. Technology allows children to research, discover and learn on their own. Her philosophical view of technology is that the more technology children are offered, the more prepared they will be as they go through their school years. She also feels the earlier technology is introduced into the classroom, the more comfortable and confident a child will be when faced with new technology.  

She thinks it is important for children to become familiar with the keyboard. She highly recommends using the website http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/ to teach students typing skills.  Sandy has been a teacher for over thirty years and she considers herself an old fashion teacher. She enjoys being able to introduce new information to her classroom, but she is still partial to using the basic tools. While she completely understands and believes in the importance of computers, DVD, and websites, her preferred choices to use when she is teaching her students are pens, pencils, crayons, markers, paper and especially books.

 

REFLECTION:

I share some of Sandy’s views of technology.  The use of computers and the technology available in classrooms are beneficial to students because they have access to so much information and beneficial to teachers because it gives them choices of how they want to teach and present their lessons.  Technology can change the way the teacher teaches, and sometimes I think it should be set aside in order to allow children to be creative. The way that Sandy teaches (using technology and integrating the basics into her classroom) gives her students many different ways of taking in information.

I feel fortunate to have been able to interview Sandy.  She is my son’s third grade teacher.  Not only was I able to see technology in the classroom and see how the students use and learn from the classroom technology, I had the opportunity to see and learn about what my son will be working with throughout the school year.