Standard 11: Technology Standards for Teachers
Artifact 2: Technology Toolkit
Everybody in their own profession has a specific set of tools needed to get the job done efficiently and effectively. Some jobs only require physical tools such as a saw or stethoscope while others only require digital tools such as a text editing program for coding or email for those in remote jobs. Teachers need both to create an inclusive and engaging classroom environment.for their students. The physical tools are quite easy to utilize. Digital tools, however, are harder to come across, harder to find, and harder to utilize due to the grand amount of features in the program. For this artifact, the task was to compile a list of technological tools that could be used in the classroom and describe them in a technology tool-kit. Through this exploration I was able to find a wide variety of websites that worked to make the class more engaging through interactive online labs, virtual tours, language translation, and tools to aid students with disabilities in their writing. Not one tool can do the same job as all other tools; each tool in the toolkit serves a very important purpose that other websites can’t provide. A game based app, Gimkit, won’t be able to teach kids about the different cultures of the world like Learn Around the World can. This connects to Standard 11, Technology Standards for Teachers because it encourages and makes it easiest to implement digital tools in everyday lessons and fully integrate it into the classroom. The technology toolkit breaks down some of the barriers of technology use in the classroom by making it more attainable in the classroom and sets a standard for other teachers to use.
Throughout my years in education there have been very few teachers that have been able to fully integrate technological tools into their classrooms. Technology consisted of a powerpoint with bullet points, movies put onto the projector, and the occasional online lab simulation to mimic the movement of atoms. Technology was underutilized, as if teachers were being forced to use it by the school system; technology replaced pencil and paper, but nothing more. This technology toolkit represents a small portion of the hundreds of tools found online. An important concept to recognize is that nobody is going to be a professional at using these tools after a couple hours of training. As a teacher, this is a moment where you can learn the most effective ways to use the tool with the kids. Learning never ends, therefore it’s important to learn with the students, explore with the students, and pay attention to their response when using these online resources. These tools are only effective when used properly, therefore it’s my responsibility as a teacher to find ways to integrate these tools in a way that grabs the students attention and creates an engaging environment. This may take a lot of trial and error, but the students’ response and growth is worth all the effort put in.
