Educational instruction has changed dramatically over the years. Please view the video below:

I am continually amazed about the possibilities of incorporating technologies into today’s classroom instruction.  I have seven years of experience in the public school setting.  However, I have been at home with my children for the past six years.   Kindergarten has always been my favorite grade to teach.  Needless to say (missing 6 years of technology updates) I was blown away when I entered my sons Kindergarten classroom.  The teacher had the use of Interactive Whiteboards and used her I-phone to upload a matching application.  The students had a blast using the interactive board to play the game.  I think they were having so much fun, they didn’t realize they were learning.  In the article, Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom, it is discussed how the Interactive Whiteboards (as well as other brand names: SMART Board, ActivBoard, eBeam, Mimio and Webster) are changing the way the classroom functions today.  Thing that were done on a traditional Whiteboard, flip chart or projector and now done with this new technology.  Some examples of how the Whiteboard may be used in today’s classroom include:

1. saving lessons to present to students who are absent or need to revisit at a later date
2. teach editing skills using editing marks
3. teach whole group computer or keyboarding skills
4. use highlighter tools to highlight nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
5. teach students how to navigate the Internet
6. illustrate and write a book as a class.  Use the record feature to narrate the text
7. teaching steps to a math problem
8. electronic word wall

The article gives many links for teachers including; Interactive Sites to use with the Whiteboard, and available software to download and use with the Interactive Whiteboard. (Interactive Whiteboards In The Classroom, 2010)  

For older students, the possibilities expand even further.  As stated the article, How to Integrate Technology into Classroom Instruction, the author lists many ideas to incorporate technologies in the classroom.  One idea mentioned was to “Create a Class Website”.  This would allow students to check for missing assignments and see what it planned for upcoming lessons. Other ideas included in this article were: “Create online assignments, create a discussion forum, and Hold periodic chat sessions”.  My daughter’s class (2nd grade) does not have a Web Page but they do have a Class Blog.  I love it!!  It allows you to see what is coming up in the classroom.  The teacher provides links to technologies being used in the classroom.  She also uploads class photos of experiments and happening during the day for parents to be able to comment on. It has opened up a whole new world of communication between us and our daughter.  We can review new information on the blog and instantly have lots of new topics of discussion.  It gives lots of great new insight instead of, “how was your day?” The blog includes other important information as well such as; peek of the week, monthly calendar including upcoming events, daily schedule, teacher contact information, etc. (Braniac, 1999-2012) 

Today’s students have so much knowledge at their fingertips.  What was once facts and information passed down from teacher to students is now taught in so many different ways. This way of teaching keeps students involved and much more engaged than before.  It is also preparing them to be ready to enter today’s technological world (and the advances to come in the future).  What we adults have to learn to incorporate into our world as it becomes necessary, is so natural for our children today.  They are growing up having so much technology at the fingertips that it is like second nature to them. Today’s students not only have a computer lab to visit (portable laptop labs), multiple computers in the classroom and now tablet computers available in the classroom.  Teachers are using iPhones, iTouch, kindles, nooks, and iPads in the classroom.  The article, “Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything”, is filled with information on using iPads in the classroom.  The author gives many tutorials from “100 Tips and Tricks, How to put a video in Keynote, using the iPad for special education, and even how to manage a classroom full of iPads” just to name a few.  She also lists a wealth of links of apps to assist teachers and students in the classroom. She mentions the possibilities of “digital field trip reports, digital science experiments and even using the iPad for oral fluency”.  Technology is here to help students succeed in so many ways.   In helping teachers stay organized with today’s technologies in turn is of great benefit to the students.  I am enjoying becoming more comfortable with today’s technologies and I am excited about using them in the classroom. (Schrock, 2011) 
Here is a link to the apple website which shows the advantages of the iPad in the classroom:

http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/


Check out the following presentation through slideshare for a quick summary of where instructional technology is headed:

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Works Cited

(2010). Interactive Whiteboards In The Classroom. http://rmtc.fsdb.k12.fl.us/tutorials/whiteboards.html.

Braniac. (1999-2012). How to Integrate Technology into Classroom Instruction. Demand Media, Inc.

Schrock, K. (2011). Kathy Schrock's Girde to Everything. http://www.schrockguide.net/ipads-in-the-classroom.html.