Lesson planning and student assessment are greatly enhanced by technology through the programs, websites, and apps that are available now a days. In previous years the only way to create a lesson plan was to brainstorm with fellow teachers or to just use your own brain or maybe even a book, but with the technology we have today educators can look for help in places they didn't even think of before. There are websites made especially for teachers so they can find ideas, websites made by teachers where ideas can be shared. There are also online According to the textbook Transforming Learning with New Technologies, it is easy to find already assembled lesson plans for any topic. There are also numerous apps available where you can download them to your phone or iPad and have your lesson plan, take notes on the classroom, etc and have that tool at your fingertips whenever it is needed. Student assessment is also made easier with the new technology available. There are websites such as rubistar4teachers.org, where teachers can find rubrics that are all ready to go or they can personalize them to their own needs. There are also those little devices where you can type in answers and it sends them directly to the teacher. There re so many websites, apps, and devices that are available.
The tech tool link that I decided to explore was www.learner.org . This website is a multimedia curriculum resource center. You can find lesson plans, activities, and videos for any topic and all grades. I explored it and I thought it was amazing. The thing that stood out to me the most was options they have for learning foreign languages. I think it is so cool how children can learn a different language so quickly, so it is great to see that they have fun and different activities available to give students.
Summary: This chapter mostly discussed the different technological tools that are available to help teachers in lesson planning, teaching in the class, and student assessment. There are so many websites, apps, programs, and devices that can be used and in so many different ways. I believe this type of technology is very much needed because it makes it so much easier for teachers. I believe it helps cut down the amount of time they spend in planning and gives more time where it is most needed, which is giving attention to the students. It makes the teacher more available when help is required and makes it easier for a teacher to quickly assess students' needs.
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Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2012).Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN:10 0-13-159611-X, ISBN:13 978-0-13-159611-5
The web is full of amazing resources - there are so many of them that we sometimes feel overwhelmed! Choosing a couple of favorite ones (perhaps learner.org), bookmarking good ones you run across (i.e., through delicious) and then knowing good search techniques will help. All are important for more effective planning and teaching.
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