It works!

The world of technology is changing with a blink of an eye. As educators learn one aspect of motivating students, more and more opportune ideas in the technology world are being introduced.  In order to keep up with the times, our kids motivated and interested in learning, we have to continue to integrate technology in the classroom.

            This year my campus rolled out the 1 to 1 technology initiative. Each student at the campus was given a netbook to take home every afternoon and were required to bring it back to school daily for in class activities.  Were the netbooks motivating? Would they encourage students to interact more in class? Would the use of the netbooks build students confidence?

            Andy Shih, the vice president for scientific affairs at Autism Speaks says “Interaction with an app is always going to be the same. The expectation is always going to be consistent. Interaction with individuals is far more complex” (Robinson, 2014). Specifically speaking, I feel that integrating instruction in the classroom can be successful if the teacher is aware and sufficient in using the programs the students will be using.
           I uploaded additional resources from online sites, videos and example sheets for the students to view when I was out of reach. This not only aided my students, but their families as well. I taught 7^th grade resource math. Thinking of ways to teach the students in order for them to understand as well as keep them motivated and active in class was a challenge. As I continued to learn the programs and learned of my student’s interests, I was able to create lessons with which they enjoyed taking part in. 

           Visitors were amazed that my special needs students were able to independently get started with not much assistance from me. They were interacting with lesson and as not bothered that people were in and out of our classroom or looking over their shoulders.

         Not only did my students enjoy the interactive lessons, it was very beneficial to me. Because technology is both highly customizable and intrinsically motivating to students, it is particularly well-suited to expand the learning experience (Moeller & Reitzes, 2011). Online quizzes and lessons gave the students automatic feedback, so they did not have to wait until I graded a paper to get results.

  Although, results will differ from student to student, we as educators must find ways to incorporate technology in K-12 instruction, as well as make it meaningful and motivating. 
Please click link for the full paper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9xfyFratBXfYzB3WXhtS21CWVU/edit?usp=sharing