Using Technology in the Classroom
As a classroom teacher of English and Social Sciences, I have been driven to find new and meaningful ways to utilize technology in my teaching. Along the way, I've had my students make their own wiki pages, create campaign video advertisements, build websites, turn PowerPoints into movies, integrate Google maps into their geography projects, and use password-protected social media sites as a means of inquiry and a place for sharing knowledge. I've also created my own websites to aid students in their research, used the internet during class to inspire and engage them with the 2012 and 2016 elections, and integrated online primary source collections into classroom activities to help bring the past to life.
Examples of Technology Integration
Language Arts
Student Summer Reading Recommendations
Throughout the year, book talks are an important part of our classroom culture, and at the end of the year, I have students record an iMovie or Explain Everything to share in an online forum that can be accessed all summer for reading recommendations!
Literary Analysis Final Project - The Masque of the Red Death
After studying the Middle Ages and working on literary concepts like theme and allegory, students create a book jacket or movie trailer for "The Masque of the Red Death" to showcase their understanding of plot and author's message.
Flipped Lessons for Symbolism and Literary Analysis - The Little Prince
During remote learning, I took my culminating literary study of The Little Prince and dramatically altered it to work for remote learning and online discussions. Students prepared by using the instructional videos, online notebooks, and text to fuel our Zoom "classroom" discussions.
History and Social Sciences
Webquest Examples
I've created and augmented several webquests to teach about the ancient Maya, Rome, and the Lewis and Clark Expeditions.
Social Justice Padlet
This is a site I built on Padlet that was used to complement in-class research and discussions about equity, race, and the history of racism in America.
Civil War Research Links
This is one of many sites featuring research links I've put together over the years to help focus students' use of the internet for credible research.
Ancient Greece Student Website
7th and 8th graders work in pairs to build this website, with each feature showcasing their group's research on an aspect of Ancient Greek Civilization.
