Old Mill Elementary, the last leg!

I will miss Old Mill Elementary School! It's been a fabulous experience. I feel so lucky to work with Mrs. Valine and those 23 third graders. I've learned oodles. This week I continued to work with my guided reading group, taught a shared reading on synonyms, and Ashley and I even taught the whole day on Friday while Mrs. Valine was gone. Exciting!

On Monday I am going to teach the kids about Picasso before they make their own self-portraits Picasso style. I'll use a powerpoint to give a brief biography of his life and show some of his paintings.

Overall, Old Mill's attitude toward technology is positive. They use it a lot.

Old Mill Elementary School, Week 3

This week Ashley and I taught plural possessive nouns using a powerpoint. It is a really efficient tool to teach specific skills. We asked the kids to write on whiteboard the correct answers to the questions. This way the technology was interactive.

I notice the kids also spend lots of time in the computer labs each week. Today we went and the kids finished up a math test on the computer then they were allowed to play math games. Overall technology use is valuable at Old Mill Elementary School.

My idea to use technology in the classroom is what Ashley did in her lesson this week. She had the children write about wishes. Prior to their writing she showed a powerpoint of the many ways you make wishes; like a wishing well, a dandelion, and throwing a coin in a fountain.

Old Mill Elementary School, Week 2!

Mrs. Valine used a powerpoint presentation to teach 23 third graders about Singluar Possessive Nouns. It was effective because the children were active participants. After she taught the skill the children were given the opportunity to practice on the whiteboard. Mrs. Valine seems to have a great attitude about technology. She uses it appropriately and within what 3rd graders can handle.

I noticed how convenient it is to have a projector in your classroom. It is a great tool to bring the outside world into the walls of the classroom. I haven't used technology myself yet in this setting, but on Wed we will be teaching Plural Possessive Nouns with a powerpoint! I think it is a fabulous way to use technology in the classroom.

Old Mill Elementary School!

What a crazy three days! It seems like we've been in the schools a lot longer than that! It is exciting and hard work! I work with Mrs. Valine. This is her first year teaching in Utah. She taught in Orange County California for the last five years. I respect her teaching style lots. She is serious about the kids learning content! She differentiates instruction so all her third graders can be successful. I am excited to learn more!

Old Mill Elementary was built in 2006. Thus it was built with technology in mind. They have two computer labs with 30 computers in each lab. Each class gets an hour of computer time each week. Each classroom also has a visualizer. Unfortunately there are not any computers in the classroom, but still the kids have access to the technology. Each teacher has a computer and a projector in the classroom. I know Mrs. Valine sometimes uses powerpoint. She can also show movies on the projector.

I also know that Wasatch school district is in a partnership with 9 other districts called NUES where they share technology with other schools...like digital cameras, video cameras and anything else you want. It just takes an email to reserve them. And luckily NUES is located in Heber so it's pretty convenient. I hope to find out more about it. It sounds like a great resource. Overall, the use of technology seems positive at the school.

I plan to use a powerpoint presentation in my upcoming lesson.