Introduction

Hey,

I work for Homer Community School District 33C which is in Homer Glen, Illinois. I currently work in our Junior High (7th and 8th grade) building which houses approximately 800 students.

Working for our school district since 1990 has given me the opportunity to teach all subjects in 6th, 5th and 4th grades; Kindergarten through 3rd Computers/Technology; 5th and 6th grade Art classes. I’ve finally found a home in 8th grade Social Studies which I’ve taught for the past 4 years.

At the junior high, my 8th grade Social Studies class ranges in size from 30 to 32 students. I currently teach 6 classes a day plus one advisory class. The other teachers on my team say I have a laid back teaching style. I don’t believe in lectures of more that 10 minutes. I try to include different learning styles and reading strategies to meet the diverse needs of my students in all of my lessons. My goal for my students is for them to be able to learn ways to achieve and become successful. The content of what I am teaching is secondary. I have very high expectations for my students. I truly believe your attitude reflects your altitude in life.

Our district brought Apple Computers into our district in the early 1990's. After several years the district moved to PC's. The district evolved from a one computer classroom to tech labs and finally to mobile tech labs on carts that are moved throughout the building. Email, Shareware, Networks and online grading systems are currently in use.

I use my laptop for attendance and grades, emailing and research. I also have the TV/DVD/VHS, housed in my classroom for our team. My most prized possessions in my room are a projector and my laptop tablet. I can go anywhere in the world and show it to my students without leaving our school. Without my projector and my laptop I would be lost. I use these technologies for the majority of my presentations. We visit United Streaming at least three times a week to give a visual of what we are studying about in history. Seeing the filmstrip or on the big screen can really set the tone in class. I use this to demonstrate how-to projects such as web quests and scavenger hunts about material we’ve studied. Students also use this technology for their presentations in class. I think students learn more from searching for material rather than me telling. Learning by doing and problem solving is important in my classroom. Technology is their future.

Technology Integration is seamlessly incorporating multimedia and other innovative tools to enhance the teaching and learning of subject matter. Does my teaching follow the definition of technology integration we discussed in class? Multimedia in my classroom is being used constantly. It is not something special to the students because it is becoming common place and interwoven in my lessons. It is part of their daily learning environment. Could I use technology more? The answer would be yes. In my perfect classroom I would have computers up and ready at our finger tips.