Productivity Tools

I have worked in various school districts with numerous teachers. As a Title 1 teacher or a Substitute teacher, a nightmare for me is to walk into a disorganized classroom. My first impression is "this teacher has poor organization skills", which probably affects his/her teaching methods. Having massive papers everywhere is an indicator that, limited technology is being used.

Although, paper to pencil is still needed in the classroom, technology is the best tool to differentiate the lessons. Because every student learns differently, technology offers a way to multi-teach students at their comprehension level. Technology can allow the slower learners to blend in with their classmates who learn at a faster pace. Using technology in the classroom equates to using online banking. Both offer guided instructions, which allows you to work at your own pace; but If you run into a problem, there is help available (teacher/bank teller-customer service).

In addition to the use of technology in the classroom, communication is very important among the teacher, parents and students. During my three years in education, I have witnessed that the majority of teachers do not have good communication with the parents. I believe communication is poor because of lack of time. Teachers are so busy with lesson plans, behavioral issues and meeting deadlines that there is simply no time to reach out to parents. I think a productivity tool called Remind is an excellent way to consistently keep the lines of communication open for teachers, parents and students.

Any district not equipped with the best technology are during their students an injustice. I hope that my future classroom has the technology available for me to use because teachers can grasped the attention of the student more quickly verses the old model of teaching. In the future, I will look at technology as my co-teacher.