Single Greatest Challenge

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Approximately three years ago my district began a journey to become 1:1. So far one could best describe the progress as hit and miss. Some teachers embrace the situation and ran with it. Others not so much. Ask any teacher who embraced this opportunity and they will all agree the single greatest challenge comes from outside the building. The Hickman Mills School District consists of students in high poverty situations. Many of which have no internet access at home. Which makes it difficult for students to work on any tech related assignment outside of the building. Another issue arises from lost or damaged technology. Many parents can not afford the fines from lost or damaged chargers and or iPads. This results in many students …show more content…

Four of my sections are classified class within a class. During these sections I work with a co-teacher. Together we provide opportunities for one on one instruction for kids with IEP’s and ESL students. One item I immediately embraced is the ability for the iPad to define a word by simply highlighting and clicking on it. Also the ability for the iPad to read highlighted text to the students. This helps students struggling to read complex texts and increases time we can spend helping everyone within the classroom. Ultimately I want the classroom to be completely paperless. Everything from bell ringer to exit tickets, formal and informal assessments, also the daily activities of reading and writing needs to be done through technology. Every year technology integrates more and more with our work and daily activities students need to learn how to manage and incorporate technology so they can compete in the 21st century …show more content…

First, I want to eliminate the textbook. All of the readings will come from online text or a PDF copy. In the classroom students can annotate the story or article without using a bunch of post-it notes or the teacher running off over 100 copies of the text. Also having Apple technology allows students look up an unfamiliar word by simply highlight and clicking it. Also for students who struggle reading they can highlight a text and the device will read it to them so they can follow along. Next, I want to make sure all students type and take notes using technology. Every year shocks me to see how many students do not know basic rules for typing. During their sophomore year students take the End of Course exam in English Language Arts. Part of this includes typing an essay. It becomes essential students understand how to properly type. Finally, I want my students to learn how to effectively collaborate with each other. Every time I ask someone outside education, “What is the number one skill employers want us to teach?” They always bring up collaboration. Employers teach how to perform a task or procedure, but what they need workers to do is collaborate with one another. Technology allows teachers to incorporate collaboration skills into nearly every

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