Technologies I Can't Live Without!

Although not as dependent or as efficient as others at intergrating technology into my classroom, it is certainly something I have grown to absolutely need! I currently teach 4th grade as I have been for the last seven years. I love my school, and I as often say I thank my lucky stars that I got job there when I did! My school currently has approximately 470 students serving kindergarten through fifth grade students. We are part of a fairly affluent community with much parental involvement and support.

It is safe to say that my school, while ahead of many, is far behind in terms of educational technology. Yes, it's great and wonderful that my 4th graders can create PowerPoint presentations and know basic terminology, but there's so much room for growth it's overwhelming! With that said, there are a few things I CANNOT live without in my teaching life. I can't live without the Internet. We do several research projects throughout the year and several of the topics are rather obscure. (Most 4th graders don't do biographies on people like John A. Logan or Robert Wadlow!) Without the Net, a lot of information would not be available to them. Other than research, my class and I use the Net for creating rubrics, developing lessons, communicating classroom happenings, playing educational games, and using educational sites like United Streaming.

Additionally, I can't live without my overhead! Yes, I recognize that in the coming years this piece of "technology" will probably be obsolete. But for the time being, as someone who hates chalk and chalkboards, I have to have to have my overhead. I use it everyday when the kids come in, most of the time for math, and some of the time in all other subjects. My LRC director and I have an ongoing joke that I burn out overhead lightbulbs more than anyone else! But seriously, I love my overhead and I am not ashamed to admit it.