Technology in the classroom
In today's day and age, technology is an inescapable aspect of everyday life. It is a constant presence at home and at school, with even the youngest of our students exposed to it. Due to this early exposure, it is not uncommon to have students who are more technologically savvy than their teachers. This is one reason why it is important for us, as teachers, to remain as up-to-date as possible on these technological advances, and understand how they can positively and negatively affect our classroom management. There are many ways in which these advances have provided us with a better or more effective way of completing a task in our classroom, but they can also have their draw backs. With so many distractions at our students' fingertips, it is important to monitor technology in the classroom to minimize disruptions and keep students on task.
The Pros
If we are wise, we can use technology to our advantage using it to assist with our classroom management. There are many applications, computer programs and websites designed specifically to help make managing a classroom easier. These technologies have provided teachers with new ways to monitor classroom behavior, easily track a student or class's behavior and create more interactive and engaging lessons. Listed below are a few of these technologies.
Classdojo
ClassDojo is an application designed to track individual student's behavior. It is free and can be downloaded onto an iPhone, iPad, or used from their website. Teachers create an account, create a class page and enter their students' names into the class. Once set up, the teacher can now easily assign rewards and penalties with just a click. If a student misbehaves, the teacher simply needs to click their name and give them a penalty. The teacher can also further monitor student behavior by selecting the reason they are receiving the penalty (ie: speaking out of turn, bullying, forgetting homework). Alternatively, if students are behaving well, the teacher may assign rewards and record the positive behaviors (ie: helping others, raising their hand, etc). ClassDojo also tracks these penalties and rewards over time. This allows the teacher to look at a student and determine prevalent negative behaviors that need to be corrected. One creative way ClassDojo may be integrated into your classroom is by linking it to a class economy. At the end of the day, students with rewards will be given class funny-money.
MyClassRules Noise Monitor & Classroom Management App for Teachers
MyClassRules is an interactive app designed to manage noise levels in a classroom. A first of its kind, this app empowers students to take ownership of their behavior by putting the power in their hands. Designed as a game, this app monitors the noise level of the class and begins assigning points if the noise level gets too high. The louder the class, the faster the score will rise. Students are then challenged to keep the noise level of the class at an appropriate volume, and can unlock achievements, post their score on a global leader-board and challenge other classes.
The Cons
While technology can be extremely beneficial to the classroom, it can also create countless distractions. As more students begin getting cell phones at a younger age, having cell phones in the classroom is becoming a growing issue. Students can be distracted by texts, phone calls, or games and miss important parts of the instruction. They can also be a distraction to other students if they begin making noise during class. I feel it is important to have a strict no-cell phone policy in the classroom and school. Exceptions can always be made in emergency situations, but in general there is no need for a student to have their cell phone with them during class.
It is also important that teachers learn how to use technology effectively in the classroom so it does not distract from the learning. Technology should be used to enhance learning, but without the proper tools and training it can hinder it. With so many new gizmos and gadgets, it is easy to be swept away in a sea of technology. However, if the teacher does not fully understand how to use the technology in his or her classroom, it can create more trouble than it is worth. If a program restarts or a piece of technology breaks, the teacher must have a back-up plan for retrieving or redoing the lost work. If a teacher begins using a new technology in their classroom, such as a new iPad application, without fully testing unwanted complications can occur. The application could not completely cover the material or be developmentally inappropriate for the age you are teaching. Remember; not all apps are created equal!
It is also important that teachers learn how to use technology effectively in the classroom so it does not distract from the learning. Technology should be used to enhance learning, but without the proper tools and training it can hinder it. With so many new gizmos and gadgets, it is easy to be swept away in a sea of technology. However, if the teacher does not fully understand how to use the technology in his or her classroom, it can create more trouble than it is worth. If a program restarts or a piece of technology breaks, the teacher must have a back-up plan for retrieving or redoing the lost work. If a teacher begins using a new technology in their classroom, such as a new iPad application, without fully testing unwanted complications can occur. The application could not completely cover the material or be developmentally inappropriate for the age you are teaching. Remember; not all apps are created equal!