Availability of Technology

The students and teachers at my elementary school internship placement have a variety of

technology resources they use for learning and instruction. The students use personal laptop

computers as well as iPad devices to supplement instruction regularly and teachers use projectors

to display virtual lesson materials on the wall. Additionally, in my mentor teacher’s classroom,

there is an electronic keyboard with metronome and sound-changing features to enhance

students’ learning experiences.

The personal laptop computers the students use are kept at the school and taken out when

a teacher needs them for a lesson. The students are assigned a computer number and login

credentials. These credentials are also used to access their homework assignments on a website

called Canvas. Teachers may assign work through Canvas to be completed and submitted online,

where the teacher can then grade and give feedback on the assignments. Students may access the

internet, online videos, educational software and games, and writing software on their computers,

which all are incorporated into lessons. My mentor teacher also has access to a collection of iPad

devices that she uses in her lessons occasionally. The primary use is for a game called FlashNote

where the students see a note on a staff and then select the corresponding letter name of the note

from a list of letters. This game is given to classes of students that generally need more practice

with identifying note names, especially those that are just beginning to learn note names.

A projector can be found in nearly every classroom at this school and they are used to

display many different materials the teacher creates on their computer. The classroom also has a

retractable white plastic canvas that can be rolled down in front of the front board to act as a

backdrop for the projection of the computer screen. The projector is used to show educational

videos, display PowerPoint presentations, display reading passages, and many other lesson
materials. Additionally, my mentor teacher uses the electronic keyboard in her classroom in all of

her lessons. She uses the keyboard itself to accompany the students during practice, which helps

them know where they are in the music. She uses the metronome feature of the keyboard to

amplify a steady pulse for the students to hear and use to stay in time with each other. She also

uses the sound-changing feature to change between a loud, piano sound when all students are

playing together, and a softer guitar sound for when students are playing individually.

All technology resources at this school can be incorporated into lessons to enhance the

teachers’ lessons. From my experience, the students generally enjoy interacting with the iPad

devices and the electronic keyboard in particular as well as all other technology. I have seen how

the technology at my school can improve student engagement and comprehension.