Monday, February 15, 2010

Technology in my Spanish Classroom

I am currently rounding up students to start a Spanish class for all ages. However, I have put a lot of thought into how to make it fun and exciting for my little ones (toddler-2nd grade). I have found several Spanish videos that help relay my lessons on colors, shapes, etc. that I will use occasionally with them. I will also use a tape recorder to record animal sounds. They will have to listen to the animal sounds and tell me in Spanish what animal made the sound. I believe that my classes for my littles ones will be more technology and arts and crafts based to make learning more fun!

The Importance of Technology in the Classroom

While technology cannot and will NEVER replace the role of a teacher, it can help aid teachers in relaying their lessons and ideas to their class. Technology is a very important part of our society now and learning how to use technology in an appropriate and useful way should start in the classroom AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. When children are young, they are like sponges and parrots: they soak up and repeat everything they hear and see. This being said, parents and teachers should step up and teach children about technology and not wait until they are older where they are most likely to learn how to use the Internet and/or technology from bad resources. Teachers are often afraid to introduce technology into their lessons plans because they might not be so tech savy themselves. Others may not see a need to use technology and that a book and a teacher would suffice. Regardless on what side of the fence you are on, technology is on a rise and teachers should take advantage of broadening their students to a bright new world of technology.

Here are two links to sites that support and give ideas of how to intergrate technology in the Kindergarten classroom:

Health and Safety
Technology and Curriculum

Welcome to the "Using Technology in the Kindergarten Classroom" Blog!

When most people think about using technology in classrooms, they think about middle and high schoolers using the Internet to research information for projects or using Microsoft Word to type a paper. The truth is technology can be a great asset to the Kindergarten classroom. There is so much technology in the world to help children learn such as Whiteboards, computers, the Internet, educational movies (TV), Powerpoints, and the list goes on and on! I believe that children in Kindergarten have the understanding and capability to use a computer and/or other technological devices with adult supervision. Most believe have set ideas in their head that technology is "too much" or "too advanced" for a K5 classroom. Click here to see how Kindergarteners use a Whiteboard in the classroom.