How will you acquire technology for your classroom?
I am one of those lucky ones that requires technology for my classroom. It is all paid for through CTE funding. As long as I can provide evidence for a need in my classroom, I am pretty fortunate to get what I need.
I am, however, very interested in acquiring a Smartboard for my classroom. I have made a deal with my CTE director that I will write a grant for a minimum of half the funding, and she will match/pay the remainder. I am looking into writing for several small grants from Qwest, Horace Mann, Trustlands funding, etc.
How does the use of technology impact your classroom management strategies?
Technology provides some great tools for classroom management and provides great tools for inhibiting classroom management. It is up to the teacher to make sure there is proper balance.
I teach in a computer lab, so I am in a constant battle with my students to stay on task. I make great use of a program called LAN School to control student computer access. I am able to blank their screens when I need their attention focused on the front of the room. I can share my screen with them during a lecture so that they have the information right in front of them rather than way at the front of the room. I can share my screen in a windowed view when I want my students to follow along with an activity that I am demonstrating. I can share files with students, force their computers to go to a certain website, etc.
I also spend a lot of time roaming the classroom so that I can stay aware of what is being done on my classroom computers. I teach a lot from the back of the room so that I can view the progress of my students in order to maintain a good pace.
Why use technology if you always need a backup plan?
Is this a rhetorical question of some sort? ;) Technology is so unreliable. The server is always going down, the Internet cannot be accessed, the power goes out, etc. You always need to have another activity on hand for these times.
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