1

Technology in the Classroom

Technology / Uses / Notes
Films (video/ DVD) /
  • Short clips of same scene from different films
  • Poetry readings by poets
  • Film versions of short stories
  • Use it to teach visual literacy/ critical viewing: the effects of different shots and camera angles, use of sound, use of color
  • Just play the sound: what emotions are generated by the sound?

Photographs
(National Geographic, own slides, publisher packets, internet, graphic packages) /
  • Inspiration for writing
  • Creating “Word Bags” for poetry
  • Teach critical analysis as above (shots and camera angles; filters). Transfer to writing

Digital Cameras /
  • Learn student names quickly
  • Help students learn one another’s names
  • Projects
  • Story or poem illustrations (their work or published work)
  • Story boards
  • Record class experiences

Video Recorders /
  • Record class experiences
  • Assessment tool: student performance; your teaching; classroom dynamics
  • Students create a film
  • Students film a story or a poem (transmediation)

Scanners / Graphics
  • Photographs from magazines, newspapers
  • Print ads
  • Digital signatures
OCR software
Copiers /
  • Photographs from magazines, newspapers
  • Print ads
  • Drafts of student work to share
  • Final student work to display or share
  • Material for teacher research and/or teacher portfolios

Overheads /
  • Print from copier or computer
  • Power Point presentations
  • Graphics
  • Samples of student work (enlarged on copy machine!) to discuss
  • Write on slides (students or teacher) to summarize discussion

Tape Recorders / Professionally recorded materials, teacher recorded materials, student recorded materials
  • Have students do a choral reading along with the tape
  • Student created “radio shows”

Software
Word Processing / Templates (letters, brochures, newsletters, business cards, resumes, holiday cards, clip art, calendars and planners; check out Office Online; watch the demos)
  • Teach formatting
  • Font choices
  • Inserting graphics, diagrams, objects, charts, text boxes, footnotes, captions, word art

Desktop publishing / Newsletters, project handouts
Presentation software (e.g. Power Point) /
  • Teacher lectures
  • Student presentations

Web design
  • FrontPage
  • Dreamweaver
/
  • Class websites (information for parents, weekly assignments, photos of classroom in action)
  • Student websites (online or on CD)

Inexpensive graphic programs (Printmaster; Printshop)
Photo / video editing
Excel / Data management for research projects
The Internet /
  • Professional growth
  • Teach web literacy: how to evaluate the worth of a particular web site
  • Cool stuff
  • Background information about a text or author
  • WebQuests

Useful Web Sites

Professional organizations

  • NCTE
  • IRA
  • CATE

Professional Development

  • CELA
  • Annenberg

Teacher Resources

  • Data check
  • Urban legends ;
  • Classroom help
  • Jim Burke’s site
  • Education World looks like more of an elementary site, but there are useful materials under Language Arts…and you might wish to create a Scavenger Hunt using the ones on this site (e.g. copyright) as models).
  • Sites for Teachers
  • Greece NY School
  • Lesson Plan Search
  • TeachNet (lesson plans and power tools)
  • Carol Hurst (check “Curriculum Areas”)

Key Publishers

  • Heinemann
  • Christopher-Gordan