Video Five: Classroom Management Software

After watching the assigned video the objective of this blog was to answer the following questions:

1. Discuss how Class Server assists teachers, students, and parents with teaching and learning. 

2. What advantages could this type of classroom management tool offer a school district?

3. What are your feelings about using such types of technology to manage instruction?

4. What obstacles do you see in using such classroom management tools? 

In regards to the Class Server shown in the video there are many benefits for teachers, students, and parents. Class Server allows teachers to create resources that they can upload to the network at school for students to utilize immediately. This allows teachers more freedom within their time as the server also functions as a productivity software recording and grading students progress as they proceed through the lesson. Class Server also provides a convenient way for teachers to monitor specific assignments for individual learning needs and since the evaluation of students is immediate it allows teachers to quickly assess learning outcomes and revise lesson plans if need be. Another time saving and beneficial feature for teachers is that the server can talk to the desired assessment software utilized at this particular school to provide instant and consistent feedback on student outcomes as measured by specific standards set forth in that school’s district.

For students it provides the freedom to access these assignments individually without teacher involvement. It also allows them to focus on content but at the same time incorporate creativity within their projects and assignments. Discrimination and critical thinking are also employed in developing presentations increasing student’s skills in these areas (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p.189). The students in this video enjoyed the fact that Class Server provided instant feedback for students so they didn’t have to wait for teacher to grade and hand back their assignments. Finally as seen in the incorporation of many technologies Class Server has a  “cool” feature that entices students to want more homework and engage within their learning assignments. Finally Class Server allows interactivity between students, their lessons, and parents as they can go through assignments at home and receive instant feedback on their performance.

This type of tool could impact classroom management significantly allowing teachers the ability to focus on the student interaction and learning outcomes as opposed to preparing lessons, printing materials, reviewing, recording, and analyzing grades, etc. With such diverse student bodies it is essential that teachers also cater to multiple needs. This type of system would ensure that teachers are able to give such personal instruction without spending ample amounts of time preparing lessons. I really enjoyed this video and was inspired to see how one school is incorporating technology as a learning and productivity tool for both teachers and students. This type of model is one I hope to be able to incorporate in my web-based instruction and/or classroom one day and believe it truly will make a difference in student learning outcomes and engagement. The only obstacles I could foresee with such limited knowledge on the system would be confidentiality, security issues, technical issues, or the misuse of the technology by the students. This server will be recording large amounts of information about each student. If this information were to be released or someone were to hack into this system this could be detrimental to the school district. Furthermore, teachers should always have backup plans in case of a technical difficulty or server crash. If they relied purely on the class server and it crashed they would have no record of student progress, grades and/or could lose all the materials they spent developing. Finally the misuse of technology within the classroom is no new issue. Students can be easily distracted and found instant messaging or surfing the web instead of completing assignments. This would mean teachers would have to spend time ensuring students were utilizing technology for relevant reasons and ensure no cheating was going on. Overall, it is a great idea and I hope to see in my studies more schools utilizing such a system!

Reference

Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. B. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3^rd ed.). United States: Pearson Education, Inc.