The+Tech+Savy+Teacher

=The Tech Savy Teacher=

The amount of technology in the world of children has increase by exponential amounts over the past 100 years of education. In one hundred years, the world has gone from the electric light and the electric car being novelties for the wealthy to indulge in and the poor to eye suspiciously, to a life where wealth is shown by the number of gadgets and the poor throughout the world put technology above the priority of other comforts. Children have come to expect technology in their world. In this amazing and very stimulating world, teachers are challenged to teach and educate. The expectation is for speed, and individuality, with a depth and breadth not before thought possible. The question is no longer, ‘Should teachers use technology in the classroom?’ The question has become, ‘How soon and how savvy will the technology be?’ I think that perhaps the real question should be, ‘Is Technology guiding the learning Process or just another add on to the real learning activity?’ One of the subjects that will benefit directly from the use of technology in the classroom is science. This process will lift the computer from the level of word and data processing to the level of creating intellectually stimulating and world expanding experiences. There are several forms of technology on the market. The teacher must be discriminating and selective in the process of deciding what technology to ask the school to invest in.

I have for an example of technology that can be use in the classroom, the Logger Pro Go! Temperature Probes to develop an exploration of the 3rd Grade Science Standard 1 Objective A. It includes a plan of travel by the students to explore temperature differences between the inside of building and the outside of buildings, as well as differences of temperatures in the sun and in the shade using a computer and a temperature probe. The most powerful part of the lesson is the conclusion, when the class goes to a car in the parking lot and sets the probe up in the car in the direct sunlight. The computer can record the very dangerous levels of the temperature in the car very quickly without endangering the children. On the way out to the car, we explore and measure the temperature of several different locations on campus. The Logger Pro software on the computer allows the record of the experiment to be saved and referred back to as often as needed. This allows the teacher to build several lessons on one experience of exploring the various places around the school campus. An experiment can also be done several times using variables so that students can learn how to create an appropriate experiment. I am impressed with this temperature probe. I find that it can be used at every level of education. Vernier offers lessons created to use all of their technical equipment. Those lessons need to be adapted to the core of the state of Utah. With further experimentation, teachers can develop lessons on their core using the temperature probe or any other Vernier equipment. Lessons developed with this technology will engage all the students. There was not one time during the use of this technology that I found the children bored or uninterested in what was happening. I think that teachers will find the effort to create fun and engaging lessons to be very rewarding. Here is a link to our experience using the Logger Pro software and the Vernier Temperature Probe.

media type="custom" key="2855221"