Teachers commented on technology usage since being awarded the CFF grant.
Teacher 1 remarked:
Even though we are still sharing laptops in the classroom, we’re
heading in the right direction to be able to truly incorporate technology
to its fullest extent. Before, we had one lab…impossible to get into.
Teacher 2 also hailed the acquisition of technology in the classrooms as making teacher’s
lesson planning more efficient. When assigning a scrapbook activity, the teacher
discussed how difficult it was before students used laptops in class. Where in the past,
T2 spent countless hours looking for stock pictures, now T2 can assign that task as part of
the assignment, knowing students can access a myriad of historical images using
technology in the classroom. T2 was also excited about having the students stay engaged
in the classroom because of the technology. The teacher said:
Being able to have all my files in one place and not having to fidget
with this or that is invaluable. Everything is on my computer. So I can the
night before, or even that morning, get everything prepared, any sites
we’re going to visit in class or pictures. Like today at the end of class,
the kids were on the vision board doing online quizzes while other
students were finishing up their projects.
Access to physical hardware is merely one component of technology integration.
In order for technology integration to be effective, it needs to be strategically infused in
the constructivist approach of instruction (Judson, 2006).
The researcher observed Teacher 3 (the math teacher) and Teacher 1 (the science
teacher) where they both integrated laptop use in their classrooms as routinely as students
getting into their seats. Students entered the classroom and quickly logged onto their
computer stations before taking book bags off their shoulders. By observing students
seamlessly using the technology in their classroom routine, this showed the researcher