Teacher Tools and Websites

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School websites are often good reference points to understand an institutions values and strengths. I looked at a school website from the Henry County School District in Georgia. Here I was able to see the variety of schools the county offers ranging from elementary to high school. On there it provides lists of faculty members and their missions as well as important people in the district that work together to make things happen. After a few more clicks on their website I’m able to view individual schools and the teacher pages for different academic departments. With this, I’m able to get an overview of a teacher’s background based on what they choose to share. This information includes, work and life history, past and present interests, classroom intentions and personal beliefs and values that they hope to exercise through themselves as they operate in the classroom.

My educational technology course took us on a tour of FSU’s Tech Sandbox last Thursday! There, I was introduced to so many interesting devices used in classrooms. Many of them I was unaware of. My recent experiences with education has truly discouraged me because I feel as though it’s more completion based to meet a certain criteria of curriculum rather than truly allowing students to engage and find interest in what they are doing. So, if it be the Lord’s will that should teach, I intend to use technology to bring back a live for learning instead of making school too much of a systematic routine. One of the most interesting tech tools I used on the tour was the virtual reality set. I walked through an Anne Frank story and I swam with sharks! The instructors of the tour informed us that these could be used as an alternative to field trips which can be expensive and difficult to approve. Through the use of such technology I could achieve a bringing back interest and interactive activities in the classroom that actually teaches something.

Lastly, I had an assignment that required me to use a Canvas tool. It was random for the most part but it allowed me to familiarize myself with the applications that teachers often use which was interesting. It was not too difficult to figure out. It also made me feel a little tech savvy and professional. It was not the most interesting assignment but it gave me a sense of the responsibility that teachers have to effectively analyze and assess the resources that they have to use in class .