Late Night Postings with Bekah Wadkins Unit 1

My name is Bekah Wadkins and I teach in a small town south of Kansas City.  The technical skills that I possess are many.  I build computers as a hobby and enjoy fiddling around on our old computers.  There isn't much I don't know how to do.  My husband is currently working on his Bachelor’s in Network Administration.  Between the two of us we are a very “techie” family.  Technology has always been a passion of mine.  When I finished my degree through Emporia State I knew that I wanted to get a Master’s Degree in technology.  What better way to reach my students than through a medium that they are already familiar with.

I currently am very blessed with a fairly digital classroom.  I teach using my smartboard, airliner, and projector every day.  We have four student computers that are new but run like a tortoise.  If we could get the student computers to access the network quickly and effectively I would use this as a resource more often.  Right now it takes students a minimum of 10 minutes just to get the computers completely logged on so they can take an AR (accelerated reader) test.  This does not include loading browsers and videos.  It is very frustrating to have that technology sitting there but impractical to use it.

I also use Promethean clickers in my room.  There are 4 sets in the building.  I tend to monopolize the use of 1 set.  I would rather that it got used than sit unused in the computer lab.  The clickers that we have in our classroom are fantastic.  They give the students the option to send in a multiple choice answer, true false, fill in the blank, or short answer.  The amount of paper I save by projecting a science page on the smartboard and having students answer the questions right there is amazing!  Not only am I going green, I can answer student questions right there when it happens.  If over half of the class gets the wrong answer I can discuss it with them right then and there.  

My current dream is to have a class set of iPads for my classroom.  Our new reading series has an app for iPad.  I would settle for just 3 iPads.  The many different uses in the classroom make it a worthy investment.   I want my students to be hands on learners.  Whether it is making digital stories or using an ipad/ipod touch I want to work with them in the technology enhanced environment that they are used to.

Bekah Wadkins’ Top 3 Elements of a 21^st Century Classroom

3.  Understanding-  If a teacher does not know how to effectively use technology in his/her classroom  than it is a waste of time.  If the students are not taught how to effectively use the technology it is a waste of their time. 

2. Resources- As the video we watched from pbs http://www.pbs.org/teachers/digitallearners/ stated, If we only have limited technology that can only be used a little bit at a time it becomes a distraction rather than a facilitator of learning. If I only have 1 laptop that only gets pulled out once a month, students are not going to use it to their full potential.  Like every new “toy” we get we have to play with it a bit before we get serious.  How many of us check Facebook at least twice before getting serious about doing our homework?  I know I’m guilty.  If I did not have a chance to play a bit before getting serious I would be on Facebook all of the time instead of doing my homework.  Students are the same way.

1. Willingness to fail- try try again.  As one of our previous aides would say “Click it Tori can fix it!”  Tori was our school tech aide.  She could fix almost anything.  Once people learned that it’s ok to fail and mess things up people began using more and more technology.  Almost everything can be recovered.  That’s why Mrs. Servatuis used to say “Save in 3s ladies and gents, save in 3s.”  Always back up what is important to you so that if you accidently delete something or crash your computer it is no be deal. 

The kind of learning environment that I want to create for my students is a safe one; one where students are not afraid to try new things and fail.  Once a student becomes comfortable with not understanding a concept that is when they can truly discover how a concept works.  I can give a child a fish and feed him for a day, but to teach that child how to fish and I have fed him for a lifetime.  The same goes with technology and learning.  I can spoon feed the information to my students, but they will forget it shortly after the unit test. 

Have my students discover the answer and they will remember it for a life time.  Case in point: when I was in the fourth grade I had to make a new product that would solve a problem that is common for students. I will never forget the SprayClean can that I made.  One sprits of this and your entire bedroom would be organized and clean.  It was a fun project that I will always remember.  It works for students today too.  If they learn hands on and create something to go along with what they are learning they will remember it.

Some of the resources that I have to help me create this environment are a supportive staff, and teaching my students early on that it is ok to not know the answer.  Once your class feels comfortable with each other and learns that it is ok to admit that you don’t know, the tension seems to evaporate.  As Miss Frizzle always says students are ready to “take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.”   In all seriousness, once students feel comfortable with you as a teacher and you feel comfortable being yourself with them, then learning can truly take place.  And believe it or not, it can be fun!