Teacher Interview
When I thought about this interview, I wanted to find a teacher that would not be negative towards using technology in their classroom. With my focus being in special education I know that technology is going play a big part in the success on my future students. So I decided, for this interview I would go back to a teacher that has inspired me so that I could to see what her newer views of technology would be like. This teacher was always open to new ideas, if she thought that the ideas might better her students in any way. For this reason I thought for this interviewing she would give me great information on how technology can be used. She is a teacher of first grade at the moment, and has also taught special education as well. This is also why I chose her for the interview, being she has history in all of the areas that I am interested in teaching myself.
I found that I was right when thinking that she would be great to interview; as she was open to all sorts of new technology. When I asked this teacher what types of technology do they have available for student, she listed of many resources available for first and second grade. These resources consisted of access to full computer lab, 5-10 working laptops, that they can use in their classrooms regularly, a laptop cart if they check them out from the upper grades, CD players, cassette recorders, overhead projectors, ceiling mounted projectors, and Smart boards/Smart pads.
I found though talking to this hard working teacher that she does use all of her recourses wisely. She uses the labs to explore Geometry shapes in their math curriculum; reinforces skills with Jumpstart at www.starfall.com, and also uses other websites and software programs. Her class is at the moment collecting weather temperatures, and conditions and entering these into an Excel spreadsheet daily. She also uses the web site www.unitedstreaming.comto download science and social studies videos that connect to their themes being studied at the time, and her class also puts Accelerated Reader to use as well. Also she has taught her students how to a make slide shows about animal classes, and how to draw maps for example.The interviewed teacher feel that the technology that they are fortunate to have, has bettered her student in a way that she feel nothing else would have. Interments such as YouTube she feels has been able to explain certain subjects in many different way so that every one of her student learning styles are able to be met.
I asked this teacher what was her philosophy of educational technology? Her reply was “Educational technology will be the next revolution in how we teach and students learn.” I feel that this is a very true statement that many long time teachers have not yet accepted. The one problem that she had with technology is not fully educated her self on how to use everything that is provided. She gets frustrated when she knows that everything could be explained though technology, and much more understandable for her students, but not knowing how to make the technology do what she needs it to.
To conclude my interview, I asked how the school administration feels about the use of technology in the classroom. I found out that this may be a great school to work for in the future, as all of the administration is pushing harder and harder all the time to incorporate more technology into the schools classrooms. The whole administration is highly exited when there is new technology out there that they could be using; as my interviewed teacher says, they find the money to get the newest technology to our classrooms and to our students.
wuiprof said,
February 10, 2009 at 4:44 pm
This sounds like a good interview. She does sound frustrated by not knowing how to use the technology well though. Some schools may not have good professional development and support.