Technology 101 Skills For Teachers By: Shelly Fryer
Shelly Fryer is a modern day renaissance woman. As a teacher, author, speaker, and advocate for children, she certainly takes a lot of responsibility for her students' success, as well as other teachers. She works with 3rd and 4th graders in Oklahoma's only elementary school specifically for homeless children. She was a PBS Digital Innovator in 2015 and continues pursuing her passion to keep students engaged today with a 1:1 iPad classroom. She is a firm believer that education should be engaging and fun and, because of that belief, spends time and energy helping teachers learn new ways to achieve these goals.
|
The blog I've explored for this post is one for teachers looking to learn some new skills. In reading the blog post, the first item I appreciated was the acknowledgment that teachers do need support and encouragement when using their iPads or other technology in the classroom. There is a huge push now to use technology and give our students technological literacy, but there has been less of a push to encourage teachers to develop their own skills and bring those skills into their classrooms. At first glance, you may think those concepts of student learning and teacher learning are the same, but without proper education and encouragement for teachers, the problem of teachers simply pairing a lesson with an app that does not increase meaning will be common in your school. Using technology can be a fantastic tool in the classroom, but without the support of administration and other teachers to truly become technologically literate, teachers may find it difficult to learn how to appropriately integrate technology into their classrooms.
With a free app perfect for a one teacher classroom just wanting to keep track of notes and assignments easily, a schoolwide paid option, or even a more advanced not schoolwide option with assessment tools, this tool offers enough variety to fit any teacher's needs.
Overall, I'd recommend this app to any grade level teacher and any school looking for a student management program. |
The first app and website that truly captured my attention was SeeSaw. SeeSaw is a digital platform that allows students to create digital portfolios of their work. Teachers can benefit immensely from this app and website by creating classes and allowing students to upload notes, projects, and other assignments in class in order to track improvement, perform formative assessments, and create progress reports with readily accessable evidence. Another benefit is that parents are able to see their student's work easily and it is more easily organized than say a folder the student may not know how to use appropriately yet. I would LOVE to have this be used in my classroom, and the potential uses are nearly limitless. I cannot express how much I love the options included with this app and the posibilities included in the paid versions. This would have been a wonderful tool for senior portfolios in high school and can help determine exceptional student needs in elementary schools.
|
After reading a bit further, I realized there was a small keynote talk given by Mrs. Fryer and an associate that would be fantastic for any teacher seeking ideas and encouragement for sharing student work on digital platforms. It speaks to the purpose of encouraging our kids' success and giving them public support.
Finally, I noticed that the app Book Creator was mentioned. I absolutely cannot praise this app enough. There are so many positives, so few flaws, and I am so thrilled to see a teacher using Book Creator with middle Elementary students successfully.
Mrs. Fryer has her class use apps such as Book Creator to enhance their learning and keep them engaged when making projects. Having used Book Creator for classes at KSU, I'm thrilled to see a teacher using this app in a way that enhances meaningful learning and in a way that results in something students can keep and potentially apply to future projects. Book Creator is not free, but does offer enough for educational purposes to make it worthwhile at only $4.99. This app allows for a variety of settings so that each book can be uniquely formed. This app also allows for one of my favorite technology features, the opportunity to record audio to go with your book. This feature is invaluable for helping students to create engaging projects, practice their oratory skills, and offer a completed project that activates visual, verbal, and audio based learning. This app is perfect for use in nearly any classroom and I cannot encourage you enough to check it out.
|
Mrs. Fryer's post offers a myriad of advice, examples, and suggestions for technological education and integration. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring what she has to offer, what her class has been up to, and taking in all the experience she offers to her readers. I am glad to see that a teacher with her experience is still open to new techologies and new strategies, even though she has been in both worlds, both with technology a click away and without much at all. Hopefully, more teachers will read her advice and open their classrooms to these new technologies and experiences.