Field Interview

On April 29^th, 2014 I had the pleasure of visiting Hampstead Central School and observed Mrs. G second grade classroom.  As soon as I entered the school I knew this was a school that integrates technology into the classrooms.  When I went to the main office to check in, they had a computer for visitors to sign in and sign out. 

I was able to observe the students using technology a couple of times through out my visit.  Mrs. G has six IPads assigned to her classroom.  Mrs. G was involved in a federal grant to get the IPads into the school.  Mrs. G said that they have had the IPads for about two years and she really enjoys seeing the fruits of her hard work.  Grades K-3 have access to IPads, while the older students have access to Nobis but will be switching to laptops.  Mrs. G stated that they are switching because they are finding that the Nobis to not be reliable.  I got to see the students taking turns using different apps on the IPad for some skill work.  One of the apps that I observed them use was for practicing tracing different numbers and letters.  The app would show the student the proper way to write a letter either uppercase or lowercase.  The student would have to do it correct a couple times before they could move on.  The students seemed to enjoy using the IPad and were exited when their name was called to use it.

I also was able to observe the students using a new math program called EnVision Math.  Mrs. G’s class is a pilot for this new interactive math lesson.  The lesson I observed was Geometry.  For this lesson Mrs. G used her IPad and a projector to display the math lesson and had all the kids gather on the floor.   Mrs. G would select certain lessons and take turns asking the students questions that were displayed on the projector.  It was great to see all of the hands shoot up into the air with excitement.  This program was fun, colorful and had animated characters to entertain the kids.  Mrs. G did not solely relay on the projection but would stop and hold up real shapes so the students could see a three-dimensional shape and be able to count the sides.  Mrs. G said that she really enjoys this new program and that the students are doing well with it.

The students also have a block where they use computers in the computer lab.  I did not observe the students use the computer lab, but received a tour from a couple second graders.  They told me they enjoy the time they get to spend on the computers and play fun games. 

Mrs. G told me that they are very fortunate with the technology they get to use in the classroom.  Some of the other technological tools they use are laptops, document cameras, IPod touches, digital cameras, and many printers.  

It was great to be able to see first hand how students really enjoy using technology to learn.  It was clear that the students were more engaged and less distracted when they were able to use some form of technology.  I really enjoyed this field experience and would love to spend more time with this class.  It was great to see that Mrs. G has over seventeen years of teaching and embraces the use of technology in her classroom.  Mrs. G has even completed Google certification training, and IPad training.

Here are some of the questions I as able to ask Mrs. G

1.  Do you use an online site to post homework or communicate with your

     students?

 We have a district webpage and we each have a class webpage through Moodle.  

I am able to communicate with families on this page. 

I post special learning, updates, notes and contact information. I also 

use e-mail as a major line of communication with families as well as 

text messages when appropriate.

2.  Do you prefer the use of technology in your class?

I enjoy using the technology in my classroom but I also understand

that it is not the only tool. It also needs to be used with instruction 

and with a purpose not just a time filler.

3.  In your teaching career, what are the different software’s you had to work

     with? Which one did you find more apt and for teaching and why?

As we move forward with technology in the classroom and the 

world in general I find the ipads to be effective with my second 

graders at this point. I can pair kids up and they can explore, 

reinforce and create amazing things. The technology has changed 

rapidly and will continue to each and every year.

4.   Do you encourage your students for computer-based activities and how

      do you guide them through it?

 I do encourage and work with my students using computer 

based activities. Our computer technology teacher also supports 

classroom learning by exploring technology extensions in the 

computer lab with students. With many of the mandatory data 

collecting assessments that are given each year moving towards a

technology based administration the more comfortable students are

with using technology the better they will be able to access these

tests.

           5.  What obstacles do you run into when trying to use technology in the 
     classroom? 

 The biggest obstacle is time to give everyone adequate time to explore

             and work with the technology we have. The other issue I find is at

             times out network isn’t as efficient as we would like and things get 

             bogged down or we can’t access internet.

6.  In your teaching career, what are the different software’s you had to work

     with? Which one did you find more apt and for teaching and why?

As we move forward with technology in the classroom and the 

world in general I find the ipads to be effective with my second 

graders at this point. I can pair kids up and they can explore, 

reinforce and create amazing things. The technology has changed 

rapidly and will continue to each and every year.