Technology 101 Skills for Teachers
By Shelly Fryer
Shelly Fryer (@sfryer) is a 3rd and 4th grade teacher at Positive Tomorrows (@ptokc). Positive Tomorrows is a school for homeless children in Oklahoma. She has also been an Oklahoma A Plus Schools Fellow (@okaplus) for the past few years. A Plus is about reforming and changing school classrooms. Below is a very informative video regarding what Oklahoma A Plus Schools are. The video was very interesting and had a lot of good information. The OKA+ experts think classrooms need to change and adapt to the changing world around us. Classrooms also need to change as technology is changing. Additionally, a portion of the interview was with some students who all said they really liked their school. They said the teachers are very caring, their school is creative, they are engaged and have fun learning, they enjoy working in groups, and it is challenging, but the teachers are really great and helpful. In these schools, the arts are valued, they use hands on approaches, incorporate cross-curricular instruction by linking core subjects, use collaboration, and use multiple learning pathways and assessments. I think this school sounds like it has a great learning environment and culture, and I can see why kids are engaged in their learning.
I am convinced technology tools should be used to enhance and amplify student creativity.
- Shelly Fryer
In the video below, you can see one way Shelly incorporates technology into her classroom. I think the project below is a great idea! It is demonstrating student learning and is a project where each student’s creativity and contribution is valued. By posting it on YouTube, other family members can see the child’s work and what they are learning in the classroom. Also, I think this helps the students to realize that their work really does matter because they get to show it off to a larger audience than just their teacher.
I agree with Shelly Fryer when she talks about how teachers need to be supported and encouraged to use technology. I think that’s a key component of changing classrooms with the changing technology. I know I would need that encouragement and support because I don’t consider myself to be good or super confident with technology. Therefore, it’s important for teachers to get support, learn about the numerous technology apps and tools available to them, and to learn how to use them so they can incorporate those tools into their classrooms. It’s also important to know which apps are developmentally appropriate for the students you are teaching, and to know how to use certain apps together to create effective lessons. I can see the value of incorporating technology because it is something most kids can relate to and know how to use. I think using educational apps and simple creative apps can help a student to learn and create projects they are proud of and excited about.
To see additional ideas and projects as to how Shelly has used technology in her classroom, check out her classroom website. Her website has many great resources and workshops on a variety of topics. I think it’s neat that she posts daily about how she’s integrating technology into her classroom.
I also learned alot about different apps and websites that I could definitely use in my future classroom. A form of technology she uses is SeeSaw. From reading about SeeSaw, it appears to be a really simple and easy way to collect and share students’ work. It is both a website and an app. I can see how this would be beneficial in the classroom and a great way to stay organized.
Another thing I learned about was Safeshare.tv. I have never heard of this before, but it is definitely something I will remember and use in my future classroom. Shelly Fryer says when sharing YouTube videos with her students, she puts the link into Safeshare.tv. This then provides her with a link that doesn’t allow other videos or comments to appear that may be inappropriate or distracting for students. I also did not know about the website PhotosForClass or that there was an app called Pic Collage Kids. Both of these have image search tools that provide students with appropriate, kid safe images. I think these would both be great for all teachers to know about and use.
Shelly Fryer is awesome at incorporating technology into her classroom! Her class also has a radio show, a YouTube channel, and photos on Flickr. Watch the video below to see why she believes it’s important to use technology in the classroom and why it is important to share students’ work both inside and outside of the classroom.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Shelly Fryer’s blog, “Technology 101 Skills for Teachers.” I learned a lot about Oklahoma A Plus Schools, as well as a variety of websites and apps. Additionally, I got many ideas of how to incorporate technology into the classroom. It was also neat to see how she used some apps in her classroom that I have learned about in my technology class. I know I will remember several things from this article to use in my future classroom!