Chapter 12: Teacher, Technology, and the Classroom

1.  What can I do to "get ready" for a lesson in which my students use computers?
I think the best way to be sure that I am ready for a lesson in which my students use computers is to create a checklist to follow.  It is important that I have all of the materials in the lesson ready when the time comes for the students to use the computer.  The first step would to be sure that the students will know how to use the computer and software that is being used for the lesson.  I can do this by creating step by step directions for the students to refer to while using the computer.  If the students are too young to read directions, I could use screen prints of each step for the student to follow.  It is also important that the students understand their assignment and know the expectations and guidelines for completing the project.  This is something that I, as the teacher, must decide upon before the lesson begins.  The next step would be to make sure that the technology is prepared for the students to use properly.  I would need to make sure that the students had somewhere to save their work, if they are creating a product.  I would need to be sure that the appropriate application/program was loaded onto the computer and functioning correctly.  After doing this, it would be a great idea to go ahead and bookmark the links that would be helpful to the students to complete the assignment.  By doing all these steps before the lesson, students should be better able to complete their computer work without too many obstacles.


2.  Where does the "computer part" come when I am teaching a lesson?
The "computer part" of the lesson should come in at a time when the students are ready to being to research and learn something using hands-on experience.  By using a computer in the classroom, students will many times get a sense of ownership of a lesson.  Once they can create and produce something pertaining to the lesson that is being taught, they will become more interested in what they are learning.  When looking at the NTeQ Lesson Plan, you would put the "computer part" into the "During Computer Use" portion of the lesson.  This is when you would want the students to research or create their part of the lesson.  This should be very interactive and should help the students to remain focus with the lesson.


3.  How do you ensure equal access for all students with only three computers?
Many classrooms are faced with the challenge of far more students than computers.  At times, this can be a great difficulty when it comes to integrating technology into a lesson; however, there are ways to overcome this obstacle.  One way to deal with having only three computers in the classroom is to break the students into small groups.  The groups would then rotate to different stations within the classroom.  To be sure that each group had an equal amount of time using the computers, the teacher would need to be sure to time each station equally.  Another way to do this is by using independent rotation.  Although the students will still be in their small groups, they will go to each station only if needed.  Each group would be assigned a computer, if more than one group needed to be at the same computer, the students could be asked to create a schedule to be sure that each group had equal time.




Lowther, D., & Morrison, G. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom. Pearson Education, Inc