Embedding Technology

 How do we authentically embed technology into our teaching of science? We have been lucky enough to have chrome books then our classrooms for the last four years. At the beginning, it felt awkward to try to integrate it into her lessons. I remember presenting the same material in roughly the same ways and then giving a kid a Google challenge at the end.  As the years have progressed, it has gotten easier and easier to integrate the students use a chrome books into the classroom. Now instead of showings students in animation we can’t send them to the animation and have them answer kadyn questions after interacting with it on their own. In my classroom, the transformation has been dramatic. It is the middle of November, and my students have only used two pieces of paper. Last year as a school, we went from 850,000 copies to only 500,000 copies by the end of the school year. This year the number will be half of that. But is it authentic?  I think it has been authentic. Students no longer use resources such as text books but instead look for information online. We no longer look at diagrams but instead use animations. In my classroom, students have always worked in groups. Now, students are working with students from other tables and sometimes even other classes.  Instead of grading papers, are used check-in‘s that are online and provide instantaneous feedback to the students. Instead of exit task, student answer reflection questions and have feedback before they even leave the classroom. My next step, my next goal Is to hook kids up with real sources online. I am imagining students talking with scientist that are professional in the fields we are studying. My goal is to have students using the Internet to develop questions rather than looking for answers.  How do we get students to keep that sense of wonder, to keep that curiosity how to live? I do worry about times about kids becoming cynics. Why learn something if you can just look it up on the Internet? Why understand something if you can’t really run change it? How do we get the students to shift from using the Internet to learn to molding it to affect a change?