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“Our mission is to enhance the relationship between the University and its alumni and friends and promoted pride and commitment within the University Community.”Teaching today’s technology
For many of us, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the sound of papers rustling and the sight of chalk dust in the air are all reminders of our school days.
For Tracy Muller’s Grade 3 class at Sir Isaac Brock Public School in Guelph, memories of their school days — or at least their third-grade year — will undoubtedly be filled with images of keyboards, streaming video, electronic ink and touch screens.
Muller, BA ’88 in French, is one of only a few teachers in the Upper Grand District School Board — or any Canadian school board for that matter — who uses Web 2.0 technology in her classroom almost every day.
The eight- and nine-year-olds in her class are already well-versed in using computers, navigating the Internet, blogging, photo sharing and creating slideshows. They also use an interactive Smartboard and SKYPE.
There’s no question that her students are learning in an environment their parents and grandparents could never have imagined.
“These tools are exciting, visually engaging and provide a different avenue for learning,” says Muller. “They help me to engage students who are sometimes difficult to reach and enrich those who are waiting and ready.”
As a child, Muller was a less-than-confident student who struggled when it came to learning. “I truly, honestly didn’t understand concepts and didn’t have the developmental skills to get it,” she says, adding that it wasn’t until grade 6 that she could pick up a chapter book, understand the story and enjoy reading.
“If you had asked any of my grade-school teachers what they saw me doing in the future, they’d never have said teaching.”
She credits two teachers ― an elementary school teacher who encouraged her to read and a high school teacher who chose her to write class notes on the blackboard ― with helping her become more self-assured.
Today, she’s helping kids, including those who struggle, become more self-assured in an ever-changing world using technology.
Muller, who was born and raised in Guelph, was introduced to the world of teaching with technology five years ago after connecting with someone in a chat room for kindergarten teachers.
“I was hoping to find someone who might be interested in doing some sort of exchange with my class and met a teacher from New Hampshire who said: ‘Hey, you should check out our blog.’ That’s when I realized the incredible potential for learning, sharing and connecting with other kids all over the world.”
At her previous school, she was one of 30 teachers and the only one using technology in the classroom. At Sir Isaac Brock, she’s the school’s tech coach and is slowing starting to draw others into the fold.
“People tend to be a bit scared by it,” she says. “It may look difficult, but it’s really not.” Muller notes that there are lots of online resources available for teachers as well as a small vibrant community of like-minded educators. One of her favourite websites for learning and exchanging information is edtechtalk.com. “The more you frequent websites, the more you learn. It’s amazing how helpful these people are.”
Through this type of networking, her class has been able to connect with a class in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Together, Muller and their teacher bring the kids together through meet-ups using SKYPE and through collaborative writing projects using blogging, wikis and Google Docs.
From her experience, she has found that teaching with technology helps to bridge the gap between the curriculum and kids who struggle.
“Some kids would much rather try to type a sentence on a keyboard than write it with pencil and paper, so it gives them a different motivation. There’s something about technology and kids. If you can present it in a format they like, they’ll be able to navigate it really well.”
Before joining Sir Isaac Brock in 2008, the last time Muller taught Grade 3 was in 1991. It was a time when technology in the classroom was perhaps a computer and a tape recorder.
She believes this type of tech-learning will benefit students as they move into post-secondary education. “These kids are confident problem solvers and navigators. Through reading, writing, creating, commenting and posting to children all over the world, they’re becoming true communicators.”
By Rebecca Kendall
