As you read my blog I hope you have found a resource or two which you wish to implement in your classroom. "But I have limited access to technology at my school." Well, here are some ideas to help you. I am a teacher in a Title I school district (yes district); so technology access was limited. My first year teaching I had access to the computer lab for 1 hour each week and if I wanted more time I would need to request it. My second year we got some laptop carts and I was able to have them for 1 hour a week and the computer lab opened up for more time. During this time I did not have a SMART board, I had the projector that was one step above the one with transparencies. Now I have my own laptop cart in my classroom all the time. I know the struggles of wanting to implement more technology into the classroom and having limited access. Thus I wanted to write down some things I did to aid in my technology integration and some ideas from other sites. Enjoy!
What I did with computer lab time:
1.) Gave my students a questionnaire the first day of school on what they knew about computers and if they have computers at home.
2.) Planned out what I wanted to focus on when I did have computer time; usually, this was for multiple visits.
3.) If necessary I spent time during the week before my computer time modeling to students how to do things on the computer.
4.) Made sure my students were able to log into the computer in 1 minute. Remember time is precious.
5.) Had the students work in buddies for the first 2 times with a new skill before doing it on their own.
6.) I would schedule many computer visits the first 3-4 weeks of school since no one was using the computer lap anyway. I would use this time to teach the students how to log in, set up computer buddies, and introduce them to the basic skills of working with computers.
What I did with the computers in my room:
1.) IMPORTANT PLEASE DO THIS FIRST! Defrag the computer. Most of you (like I did) have ANCIENT computers in your room and they really need a defrag. This alone can increase the speed of the computer(s). When done have the computer do a disc clean up as well. If you don't know how to defrag click here for a simple easy to watch and follow along video. To do a disk clean up click here.
2.) Create "Tech Time" each day where the students can work on different websites during a certain subject. For example, I would have 2-3 students working on typing during Language Arts time for about 15 minutes each. For Math, it would be the same except my students would be working on FrontRowed.com. Please note depending on the student they would do this either during independent work time or during class practice. This would depend on the student's performance level and how long it would take for me to pull them in a small group to help them if needed. I made a schedule for the students and printed/posted them by the computers and a laminated copy at each table. After about 2 weeks the students started doing this automatically with no disruptions during class.
3.) Prioritize your students. I made sure my students who really needed computer exposure and time where the students who got the most time on the computers (usually 20 minutes). I would have my students who are experienced with computers work on them during times when I would need to pull small groups so I knew they would more than likely not need help during this time, thus allowing me to focus on my small group.
Here are a couple of websites with some other ideas of technology integration with limited access to technology.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/free-tech-integration-resources
https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation
If you have other ideas or websites to share please send me a message! Enjoy!
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