There is still so much to learn! Angela Cooper A sixth grade Language Arts teacher East Wake Middle School

MT: What classes in your undergraduate coursework were most helpful in demonstrating how to incorporate technology into the curriculum?

Angela: We used a lot of technology in our writing class ... for instance, we used technology to edit our writing and revise.  We had some sort of correspondence with another school, in which they sent us kids’ papers and we could edit and revise for them ... We mostly used technology for Word Processing purposes.

MT: So now that you are teaching sixth grade what types of technology are you using in the classroom?

Angela: My focus is on computers, because I want to expose my kids to as much as I can ... I don’t even know as much as I would like to, but I would like to give them the full extent of my knowledge.  We are now in the computer age and they need to know as much as they can.  I have three computers in my classroom and I try to give computer time on a daily basis to my students who sign up.  It may not be anything directly related to what we are going over in class, just time to work on the computer and use the computer.  Just practicing using the computer is important too because some ... are wizards at it, but some are still learning how to work the keyboard and learning the keys on the keyboard.  We also spend time doing Accelerated Reader and the kids can take their test.

The biggest focus in my classroom is using technology in writing.  We are preparing for the seventh grade writing test next year and so we do a lot of different drafts, essays, and revising.  I would like to eventually be able to let them write to other students from other schools and have them edit and revise each others’ writing. I think that would be great for them just so they could see that some of the mistakes they make are common.  They think that if you correct them they will say ‘Oh! I shouldn’t have made that mistake.’  I have to tell them that mistake is common error that you see throughout sixth grade.  So I think it will be good for them to see other students’ writing and be able to revise and talk about writing.

Kids do not like to write at this age, they hate it, it is the worst thing.  The first thing they want to know is ‘how long does it have to be’?

MT: Does the computer help their dread of writing?

Angela: Yes it does, because when they are typing they don’t really focus on the length as much as they do when they are handwriting.  I guess when they are writing their hands get tired and they feel like ‘Gosh, I am tired of writing.’ On the computer they will actually want to write more, like ‘Can I type an extra page?’ or ‘Can I add this?’  It is wonderful considering the fact that we don’t have a lot of computers and the computer lab stays booked up.

MT: Do you find many of your students have and use computers at home?

Angela: Yes, definitely.  I think more than fifty percent use them at home.  We just did a research paper ... and they had to write them up.  They immediately asked if they could type the papers up, because they had to spell check and all that sort of stuff ... They think typing it always makes it look prettier and they use the pictures and the colors.

MT: Are any of your students doing web design?

Angela: My higher level kids may, and maybe out of my group of thirty I may have three that will go beyond and go out there like that.

MT: You have around 125 students?

Angela: With one class of advanced students and the rest are average.

I do have a sixth period that is my resource class.  A resource teacher comes in and co-teaches with me because there are some resource/learning disabled students in that classroom.  That class usually doesn’t move as fast as the other classes, because technology for them is a challenge.  That is the class that whatever could go wrong will go wrong in the computer lab.  Their skills with using the computer are minimal.  Those are the kids that I have to give more computer time in the classroom because they need time to learn the keyboard and using it.

I realized that I have to go in there the day before and try it myself.  Because if I just go in there that morning with them, then there is always something that is wrong, we spend most of our time correcting problems and then we need an extra day in the computer lab to finish working, because we wasted so much time.

So I go in and go through the system myself.  I jot down anything I think they will ask questions about and I will write down the procedures.  Because sometimes you think you know what you are doing, but then you aren’t sure ...

MT: What types of activities take place in the computer lab?

Angela: Wake County requires each student to keep a writing folder. There is a list of the types of writing you must include in the folder ... so at the beginning of the year we start with the friendly letter.  I went over how to write a friendly letter in class, they chose someone to write the letter to, and then we wrote a first draft, edited it and then finally typed it with graphics.

The second time we went we did newsletters.  That was a creative writing assignment, in which they wrote about what was going on in their classes and they could used graphics.  We had a newsletter design (Microsoft) in which they could add their title.

My AG class did short stories and they did slides to go along with their short stories ... they chose to use Power Point to create a slide show.

MT: Do you find problems with students going to sites that are off limits?

Angela: All of our kids had to get Internet permission forms.  They are pretty responsible, because they know it is a privilege and it can be taken away.  Most of them when they go to the Internet are really just going to explore and they really don’t have any ulterior motives. 

... they just go to explore and really just learn how to use it.

MT: Is HyperStudio used frequently in your middle school?

Angela: We have workshops in it, but I am not really sure how many are using it to be exact.  I think most teachers are sort of intimidated by technology, because they ask me ‘How did you do this?’ I tell them that I am just learning. HyperStudio can be kind of overwhelming for sixth graders.

MT: Would you say the major challenge to integrating technology into the curriculum is limited resources?

Angela: Definitely, you would think that in Wake County computers would be more accessible to kids and that they wouldn’t have to wait in line or be on a waiting list to use a computer.  

MT: What is your advice to someone just beginning to use technology?

Angela: Don’t take on more than you can chew.  Only do what you are comfortable with and don’t feel like you have to go out and do these extravagant, very creative projects.  You will become frustrated ... because you have put too much on your plate.  Just start.  Start with basic word processing.  Then take workshops – definitely expose yourself to new things, because you have to be open to learn new things.  Take a lot of workshops and ask a lot of questions.  Always go in the day before and prepare yourself, because whatever can go wrong probably will.  Go through the lesson yourself.  Jot down any questions you can or you think.  Jot down ‘need to know things’ for your students, on the board or on a handout.  Work your way up and build your confidence ... start small and build your confidence.

MT: What are your future goals in technology?

Angela: Well right now I am setting up a homework web site, where my parents can go and find out the homework and what’s going on in my class.  That’s what I am trying to get together and I am still getting help on that.  That’s new for me.  I really want the kids to be in charge of going on the web site and typing in what’s going on in the class.  Maybe two or three students per class can go to the computer and put their comments and questions.  I don’t want the project to be me typing out the homework; I want the kids to have some sort of interaction and put in some of their products.  That is in my immediate future.

Now for the long term, I would like to have a classroom full of computers – ten to fifteen computers.  That would be my ultimate goal, just for every kid to have access to it.  Also, I feel like there should be a basic Internet class, where the kids are taught how to use the Internet.  Maybe a class where the students are taught Power Point and HyperStudio, beyond the typing class.  I just want to learn as much as I can to be able to give back to them ... there is still so much to learn!

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