Talking With Teachers

I used part of my time last week to talk to teachers about the technology they are currently using in their classrooms. This allowed me to get a deeper insight into how things really are, and how things are going while incorporating specific devices into the classroom setting.


I learned that most teachers are very passionate about the technology used in the classroom. They all agreed though that there has to be a good balance between the technology being used and how it is being used. One teacher said, "I believe that technology has a place in the classroom and that it can help students achieve so much. However, I don't feel like technology should take over the classroom. It's a great tool to help students, but it's not the only tool."


While doing the interviews I learned of another gadget that I didn't know what being used, the "document projector." This gadget has a camera which projects the document, which is placed directly below it, on a projection screen, allowing students to see an exact copy of the document which the teacher is presenting. This has been very useful in the classroom because it eliminates the need for the teacher to create overhead slides, instead they can use the original document and the students can easily see it.

When discussing the use of document projector in the classroom a teacher said, “I use a document projector and I love it! I like how the students can see the same worksheet they have. I’m not trying to explain where they should be, I can actually show them.”

Another thing that I learned while talking with the teachers is another way that e-readers are being used in the classroom. Another advantage of the e-reader device is its capability to audibly read the books to the students, which helps them to figure out words that they otherwise would not be able to pronounce on their own. In an interview with a teacher that currently uses e-readers in the classroom I asked her opinion on the use of them and she responded as follows, “The e-readers work wonders with the students. I work in a special education classroom with them and the students love them. They struggle reading words, but understand words when they hear them so they all enjoy listening to the books.”

I'm excited to see what else I can learn while on my search for information on technology in the classroom.