Reflection:
When I was told last year about the opportunity to participate in the Teacher Leadership Project (TLP), I was very excited and eager to learn about integrating new tools and strategies to improve technology usage in my classes. I have always loved integrating technology into my lessons, but I soon realized that there was much to learn about, try, use, fail, and succeed.
Part of the first success I had was to be able to begin the school year with great tools that were shared with us during the summer sessions. These tools helped me to set the tone for what I wanted to accomplish with my students and colleagues this year.
I am convinced that the use of technology in my lessons had a very positive impact on my students. They gained not only a lot of English vocabulary and grammar skills, but also knowledge of new technologies that they can use when they leave the detention center.
As previously stated, most of my students have never used a computer before. This obstacle was both a challenge and an accomplishment. It was a challenge because it took instructional time from our tight schedule to practice using the different applications and programs. It was also difficult to have them focus more on the content than on the look of the project. Additionally, we sometimes spent too much time fixing or adorning the product and less time in the concept.
Nevertheless, it was very rewarding to see how much they learned while creating amazing projects. Among the topics my students learned were how to use a computer and how to create digital stories. Students used PhotoStory and PowerPoint as a multimedia format to communicate their life experiences, their likes and dislikes, their dreams and hopes. Students also employed websites (such as GoAnimate) to create videos to practice their English language skills. In addition to learning to use the computer, students had an opportunity to utilize IPADs to create presentations. They used the application Haiku Deck. This application enabled them to write sentences (from the English vocabulary and grammar skills they were learning) and add high quality pictures. Students then presented their final product to the class using the SmartBoard.
Finally, the students learned to create websites using the templates provided by Weebly. They researched the lives of famous Civil Rights Movement leaders - both Hispanic and African American - to create a website that depicted their accomplishments. They constructed websites that included pictures, links to videos, and text and button texts with links. They presented their websites to visitors.
In summary, the TLP experience has really changed the way I teach and integrate technology in the classroom. It was very rewarding to see the confidence my students gained with technology and how cooperative they were during the projects. It was incredible how quickly each learned to Google for pictures, use Google translate to help with their vocabulary, create PowerPoints, use the IPADs, and create music for their photo stories. Another success I witnessed was their level of cooperation. When one of the students was not sure how to do something, for example, other students immediately offered to help, even if they had just learned how to use the same technologies.
It has been an amazing year and my students and I have learned many ways to integrate technology with learning and practice new concepts. Thanks to the wonderful TLP organizers: You have made a difference in the lives of many students and teachers.
Part of the first success I had was to be able to begin the school year with great tools that were shared with us during the summer sessions. These tools helped me to set the tone for what I wanted to accomplish with my students and colleagues this year.
I am convinced that the use of technology in my lessons had a very positive impact on my students. They gained not only a lot of English vocabulary and grammar skills, but also knowledge of new technologies that they can use when they leave the detention center.
As previously stated, most of my students have never used a computer before. This obstacle was both a challenge and an accomplishment. It was a challenge because it took instructional time from our tight schedule to practice using the different applications and programs. It was also difficult to have them focus more on the content than on the look of the project. Additionally, we sometimes spent too much time fixing or adorning the product and less time in the concept.
Nevertheless, it was very rewarding to see how much they learned while creating amazing projects. Among the topics my students learned were how to use a computer and how to create digital stories. Students used PhotoStory and PowerPoint as a multimedia format to communicate their life experiences, their likes and dislikes, their dreams and hopes. Students also employed websites (such as GoAnimate) to create videos to practice their English language skills. In addition to learning to use the computer, students had an opportunity to utilize IPADs to create presentations. They used the application Haiku Deck. This application enabled them to write sentences (from the English vocabulary and grammar skills they were learning) and add high quality pictures. Students then presented their final product to the class using the SmartBoard.
Finally, the students learned to create websites using the templates provided by Weebly. They researched the lives of famous Civil Rights Movement leaders - both Hispanic and African American - to create a website that depicted their accomplishments. They constructed websites that included pictures, links to videos, and text and button texts with links. They presented their websites to visitors.
In summary, the TLP experience has really changed the way I teach and integrate technology in the classroom. It was very rewarding to see the confidence my students gained with technology and how cooperative they were during the projects. It was incredible how quickly each learned to Google for pictures, use Google translate to help with their vocabulary, create PowerPoints, use the IPADs, and create music for their photo stories. Another success I witnessed was their level of cooperation. When one of the students was not sure how to do something, for example, other students immediately offered to help, even if they had just learned how to use the same technologies.
It has been an amazing year and my students and I have learned many ways to integrate technology with learning and practice new concepts. Thanks to the wonderful TLP organizers: You have made a difference in the lives of many students and teachers.