Hello! My name is Natasha Peachey and I am currently an elementary special education teacher. Due to COVID-19, I am currently teaching virtually. I work in a very diverse area, and therefore, multiple students who attend the school I work at are English Language Learners (ELLs). One of my goals for this blog is to post new information I research as well as my own experiences working with ELLs and how I can better support them in the classroom. Another goal for my blog is to discuss researched information and my personal experiences about technology usage in the classroom to support all students including ELLs. I have created google alerts so that I can read weekly articles on these topics and share the information so that it will hopefully be beneficial to you!

    For my first blog I want to discuss a very important topic; why incorporate technology into the classroom? Today, multiple districts all over the world have access to technology usage in the classroom. Many districts utilize technology every day to maximize student engagement and learning. One article I read was written by a principle who discussed why he thinks technology in the classroom is crucial. According to the article, some reasons why technology usage is so important is because it keeps students engaged, it helps prepare students for the real world, it encourages collaboration, and it allows students to enhance their learning of various concepts. I am fortunate to work for a district who has access to technology and is able to provide every family with a laptop for at-home learning.

    However, there are still multiple schools and districts who either do not have access to technology for their classrooms, or who choose not to utilize it. Even though this pandemic has caused many hardships over the past few months, one positive thing that happened is that many schools around the world who did not have access to technology now have it to use in their classrooms. In another article I read, it discussed how teachers in South Africa were provided with supports and trainings to help them incorporate technology into teaching during the pandemic. These teachers were provided with trainings to help with different online platforms such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and other Google services. Some teachers in South Africa are being creative with the materials they have, such as posting pieces of paper on a wall which they call “whiteboards” and posting videos of them teaching using their “whiteboards” for their students to see.  I think it is wonderful that some teachers all around the world are now being able to incorporate technology into their classrooms to support their students when they might have not had the opportunity before.

    I am excited to continue researching and discussing how to best support students, especially ELLs in the classroom through the usage of technology. Thank you for reading!

Comments

  1. Miller's BlogOctober 8, 2020 at 7:06 AM

    Hello Natasha,

    I agree with you on all the benefits of using technology with education for sure. The article you shared on technology in the classroom is crucial is so true. How do we as educators get more principals like in that article to share that same mindset? I agree we are also finding more and more creative ways as educators to deliver content to our students but we still face the road blocks of technology and infrastructure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 12, 2020 at 9:00 AM

    Hi Natasha,
    I completely agree with you that if there is one positive that has come out during this crazy time, it's that more schools are investing in technology for their students. Not only to use at school, but also at home. I think this pandemic has also brought into focus the extent of the digital divide and how truly disadvantaged some of our students are.

    ReplyDelete

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