ILP #2 "Participation"

For my second ILP, I interviewed Junior High Math teacher, Paula Smith. Ms. Smith is a teacher at Madison Junior High School in Naperville, Illinois. She is a teacher that I look up to and I admire her hard work and passion for her job. She has recently implemented a new system within her school with a new approach to student support. Instead of pulling kids from the classroom who need help with math or reading, they push support teachers into the classroom who help the students to succeed. There is a short article on the school website that talks more about this new approach and includes some quotes from Ms. Smith as well. Click HERE for more information on that!

Ms. Smith has also won noteworthy awards as a teacher. She was previously named Illinois teacher of the year, she was selected to run a workshop at the National Conference of Middle School Teachers of Math in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and to top it off she has her Masters in Math Education. I aspire to be more like her as I become a teacher in the future and I hope to accomplish great things in my field of work as well. Knowing this information about Ms. Smith is why I chose to interview her to begin with. I had known her as a teacher but I didn’t know the aspects of how she did or did not implement technology into and outside her classroom in regards to her teaching career. So I interviewed her! I asked her a few questions about technology and education, and I have provided the questions and answers below. I was surprised by some of the responses especially when she told me she doesn't use PowerPoint! Based on what I've learned in class, I'll have to teach her to use it to her advantage.

Teacher Interview Questions

1. Do you implement technology in your classroom? If so, how?

• We are fortunate to be a 1:1 school, so every student has a Chromebook. This allows my classes to be very tech-driven. For every course, students are enrolled in an online Canvas class. Students use Canvas to check for class announcements, take quizzes, look for resources, participate in online discussions, etc. Additionally, we use the Google Suite regularly. Specifically in math class, there are many additional online tools I use on a regular basis. Some of them include Khan Academy, Desmos, IXL, Kahoot!, Quizizz, GoFormative, WeVideo, Screencastify, and Virtual Nerd. With our math textbook resources, students have access to an online textbook and online homework. I often assign them online homework because is it easy to differentiate with built-in “help”, and it is interactive.

2. What technological resources are available to you, provided by the school, to use as a teacher?

• Every teacher at my school is given a laptop computer, a wireless projector, a wireless Smartboard, integrated classroom audio system, and an ELMO projector. In our building, there is also a blue screen room and several common areas with Screencast capabilities.

3. Do you recommend any educational software for your students to use at home? If so, what are they?

• At the beginning of the year, I set up classrooms on Khan Academy. I use the site to “assign” practice lessons that students can complete at home. Additionally, students use IXL for skill practice outside of class. I encourage students to use Desmos which is an amazing free online graphing calculator.

4. Do you use any academic software in your classroom such as Kahoot! or PowerPoint?

• I use all the software listed in previous questions. I use Smartboard or Google applications (Slides, Sites) for lesson presentation. I haven’t used PowerPoint in years!

5. As a teacher, do you use any Social Media or Web 2.0 tools to expand your educational knowledge, share ideas, or reach out to other fellow teachers? Examples include Twitter, Diigo, Blogger, etc.. ?

• I use Twitter to follow math education leaders and organizations from the world.

6. Do you come across any technology implementation issues within your classroom? If so, what do you do to solve them?

• My students are very tech-savvy, so I do not have many issues with implementation. Occasionally, the Wifi strength in my building cases an issue. There are also a handful of student who do not have Internet access at home, so I help them plan for an alternate location to get work done outside of school. This is sometimes after or before school in the building or the local library.

7. Do you have a teacher or class page through your school's website? If so, provide a link.

• I do not have a teacher or class page. I have linked my school’s website.