ABC

Community
School
Ines Solano 10/9/2020
 My Position

Technology in the classroom has become such an important tool when it comes being
effective educators. In our fast moving world we have been tasked with preparing our students to
take on many challenges they will face as they learn, grow and explore. Using technology is an
essential part of making critical thinkers. Technology also assists in tackling this task with a
variety of resources at little cost to the budget.
As educators our goal is to prepare our students to thrive in the world they will live in as
adults. Doing this involves much forward thinking on our part. In our society, technology is fast
moving. In the past, technology growth happened slowly and steadily. Now technology is
advancing exponentially. From the 1960s to today the processing power has gone up about 1
trillion times. Nothing else has improved at that rate. In 2001 Ray Kurzweil, an acclaimed
inventor and futurist, wrote that every decade our overall rate of progress is doubling, “We won’t
experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century—it will be more like 20,000 years of
progress (at today’s rate).” So now it is essential to begin preparing students to master the use of
technology as early as we can.
In addition, using technology in the classroom can also help cut costs while still
providing a quality education. A variety of technology can be used as a good substitute for an
assortment of resources that would otherwise cost the district extra. For instance, rather than
needing to print out worksheets and quizzes for individual students there’s a plethora of software
that allow students to access these items online. This would save on unnecessary printing. This
wouldn’t be the only tool saving money. There’s also software that help teachers become more
efficient with their time in and out of the classroom. These tools allow them to more clearly track
progress of students and plan more resourcefully.
Technology is an essential part of our modern world and thus must continue to be viewed
as an essential part of our classrooms. As we continue tackling the challenge of preparing young
learners for their future with limited funds we must continue to consider the world they will be
living in. Technology will continue to develop exponentially. This fact combined with our
decreasing budget should prove that our technological resources need to be prioritized.
References

 Alison E. Berman and Jason Dorrier -, By, Berman, A., Dorrier, J., -, Alison E.
BermanAlison tells the stories of purpose-driven leaders and is fascinated by various
intersections of technology and society. When not keeping a finger on the pulse of all
things Singularity University, Jason is managing editor of Singularity Hub. He did
research and wrote about finance and economics before moving on to science. (2019,
July 10). Technology Feels Like It's Accelerating - Because It Actually Is. Retrieved
October 12, 2020, from https://singularityhub.com/2016/03/22/technology-feels-like-its-
accelerating-because-it-actually-is/
 Lewis, R. (2012). Technology In Education Is Great For Our Future! By: Rioni Lewis.
Retrieved October 12, 2020, from
https://thecoolkidsblog.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/technology-in-education-
is-great-for-our-future-by-rioni-lewis/
 Summary of Standards

The Nevada Computer and Technology Standards and ISTE Standards are for the most part
the same. The one difference is that the Nevada standards identify indicators for different grade
levels; second, fifth, eighth, and twelfth. They both include six key standards for students with
four sub standards lettered A to D.
Number one is Creativity and Innovation. This is where students demonstrate creative
thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
The sub categories include a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or
processes, b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression, c. use models and
simulations to explore complex systems and issues, and d. identify trends and forecast
possibilities. Number two is Communication and Collaboration. This is where students use
digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a
distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. The sub
categories include a. interact, collaborate and publish with peers, experts or others employing a
variety of digital environments and media, b. communicate information and ideas effectively to
multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats, c. develop cultural understanding and
global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures, d. contribute to project teams to
produce original works or solve problems. Number three is Research and Information Fluency.
This is where students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate and use information. The sub
categories include a. plan strategies to guide inquiry, b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate,
synthesize and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media, c. evaluate and
select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks, d.
process data and report results. Number four is Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision
Making. This is where students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage
projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and
resources. The sub categories include a. identify and define authentic problems and significant
questions for investigation, b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a
project, c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions, d. use
multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions. Number five is
Digital Citizenship. This is where students understand human, cultural and societal issues related
to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. The sub categories include a. advocate and
practice safe, legal and responsible use of information and technology, b. demonstrate a positive
attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning and productivity, c.
demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning, d. exhibit leadership for digital
citizenship. Number six is Technology Operations and Concepts. This is where students
demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations. The sub
categories include a. understand and use technology systems, b. select and use applications
effectively and productively, c. troubleshoot systems and applications, d. transfer current
knowledge to learning of new technologies.
For Nevada standards these abilities are scaffold through the grades. There is a more in
depth took at the goals for the different grade levels. In the younger grades the standard is just to
lay a foundation in that specific area. In the older grades, fifth and eighth, students must build on
that foundation by practicing use of a variety of softwares. In twelfth grade students must show
mastery through collaboration.
 My Lesson Plan

• Name of lesson: Create a shape

• Grade Level Appropriateness: Kindergarten
• Technology Content Standard Addressed: 1. Creativity and Innovation: Students
demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and
processes using technology.
B. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
• Other Content Standard Addressed: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.5
Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and
drawing shapes.
• Objective: The student will understand how to use a digital drawing tool to display their
knowledge of shapes.
• Materials needed to facilitate the lesson: 1 tablet per student, 2D and 3D models of shapes
(includes: circle, triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, diamond, and oval), 1
cup of Playdoh per student
• Suggested group size: 1 student per device, class split in half
• Procedures: Begin by gathering all materials listed above. Make two stations (enough spots for
the class to be split evenly). At station one have the 3D shapes displayed and the Playdoh set out
for each child. At station two have the 2D shapes displayed and the tablet set for each child. Be
sure to have all the tablets opened to the drawing application.
1. Introduce this project to the class by reading Snippets: A Story About Paper Shapes by
Diane Alber (as you’re reading begin to describe the shapes shown in the pictures; ex.
“notice how the square has 4 sides that are all the same”)
2. After the read aloud explain the two stations to the students. Tell them that they will all
get an opportunity to visit each. Explain that at the first station they will use the Playdoh
to recreate the 3D shapes displayed. Then model how to create a shape using a small
piece of Playdoh. At the second station tell them they will be drawing the shapes using
the tablets. Model drawing a shape on the tablet.
3. Split the class into the two stations. Be sure that you or a teacher’s assistant is
photographing the work at station one. At station two assist the children in writing their
name on the page. Then guide them to create the shape you’d like
them to draw. Be sure to label each shape as the child interprets it
to be.
4. Once you have gone through all the displayed shapes be sure to
date and save all the children’s pages. Save by pressing done at the
top of the page. Either at the end of each group or class email the
pages to me. Inessolano16@gmail.com
• Assessment: I will measure how well they draw the shape. The shapes themselves are the
assessment. This project would be done multiple times so I would then compare the shapes
created in the previous project to the current ones.