One way I would use word processing software in the classroom is to make newsletters each week for my students and parents. This news letter will be meant to notify parents of activities, projects, and tests during the week. This will also help the students be accountable for turning in their own work and making time to study for tests. These will newsletters will be delivered by email and by paper to avoid students not delivering it to the parents. "Word processing also helps teachers use preparation time effectively.." Roblyer, M. D., & Edwards, J. (2000). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
This could become an issue if the parents are illiterate, non-English speakers, or give false information. For the non-English speakers, you could plug your letter into google translate and send that home with the student.
Spreadsheet Software
Spreadsheet software can be used as a mathematics activity in the classroom, especially if you are teaching your students about percentages and pie charts and graphs. "Spreadsheets helps users manage helps numbers in the same way that word processing helps them manage." Roblyer, M. D., & Edwards, J. (2000). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. Quite like an activity we completed in our technology class, I would give the students a bag of M&Ms and ask them to create a graph on Excel. Of course, before giving them the M&Ms, I will instruct them on how to use Excel and how to effectively create a chart.
One way this could be an issue is not giving step by step instruction to use Excel. This could be overwhelming to the students if they are not given the effective instruction.
Presentation Software
I can use presentation software in the form of Slides in Google Drive. This will be an effective way to bring technology into the classroom and to also allow the students to access any lessons at home that they learned in the classroom.
Classroom Use--
More than anything I will use Word Processing software in the classroom as a tool and "it allows materials to be shared easily."Roblyer, M. D., & Edwards, J. (2000). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. I will encourage the students to use Google Drive for all online/digital assignments. They will share their documents to my school email so that I know where they are in their work each day and how much they accomplish.
I love so much that you are including your students in the Google Drive program. Integrating the technology into the students everyday classroom routine will benefit them more in literacy and writing.
ReplyDeleteI love how you noted that you would change the language in order for the students parents to read the newsletters. There is a function in Word that allows you to convert all the words to another language. My CT from last semester shared this tidbit with me last semester and I believe it will be helpful when we become teachers! As Roblyer (2016) stated, word processing saves time and makes documents appear more professional. Creating a newsletter in a word processing software is much more professional than sending home a handwritten newsletter.
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ReplyDeletethink is is important that teachers keep the parents updated at all times. My CT for Literacy block and Pre block sent home newsletters every Friday for what they would be learning the following week. This would help me as a parents know what I needed to help my child with at home if they were struggling in class. Word documents will make them 10x more professional than handwritten ones, AND you can save it go Google Drive and use that template again and again! can you say TIME SAVER!
ReplyDeleteI honestly feel like in the years to come, everything will be on Google Drive! I love it though! It keeps everything in one place and it doesn't constantly have to be backed up. It will always be there for you when you need it. How amazing is that? The only way I would use this is if it was for 4th-6th grade. I my opinion, they would benefit from it more because they will require a computer more often than most K-3rd graders.