21st century schools discusses the importance of technology in schools, as well as the different ways to utilize technology effectively in the classroom. Part III discusses the ways to be effective in your uses of technology in the classroom. The section contains a rubric for educators to follow when creating technology enhanced assignments.
This has been one of the biggest issues for me this year. I have a very limited amount of technology in my classroom. When I do create an assignment where I use the community laptop cart of the borrowed projector, I try to figure out if I am using my technology effectively. There are a variety of things I have to consider. I have to look at whether I am using technology for ease of production or if my students are actually getting a better learning experience. Having the rubric on page 114 allows this process of self evaluation to run much more smoothly.
Another huge area of concern for me is the idea that not all my students have access to the internet at home. It is hard to believe the amount of students that go home and have no way to access the internet. My school district has gone to an online grading system. Essentially all teachers in both middle and high schools have their grade books online. Students can log in online and see what they have received on their assignments and what their class grades are. After viewing the video about students without internet I decided to print out and give my students weekly progress reports. This limits the unfairness in terms of who can and who cannot see their grades online.
Overall, the book discusses a variety of tools, reasons, and ways to use technology EFFECTIVELY in the classroom.
