Meagan Leas- Classroom Teacher
A Little About Me:
Name: Meagan Leas
Teaching Background: I earned my Bachelor's Degree in 2012 from Arcadia University, in Glenside Pennsylvania. I put my resume out and a charter school here in Rocky Mount NC gave me a call. My husband, son, and I moved here in 2014 so I could teach middle school math at Rocky Mount Preparatory School. I taught 7th grade math there for 4 years.
Current Position: I am currently in my second of teaching high school math at Nash Rocky Mount Early College. I have taught Math 2, Math 3, and Pre-calculus while there. This year they added Freshmen STEM and AVID to my plate. I am loving getting to teach new things.
Why EDTC 6037??
In 2016 I earned my Masters Degree in Instructional Technology from Arcadia University. Then in Fall of 2016 I began my second Masters here at ECU. This past Spring I took EDTC 6070 with Dr. Liao. Through that class I learned useful technology integration skills and actually used the tools and programs with my students. This Spring I needed to take an extra class due to loans and when I saw she had another technology integration class I signed up.
Learning Goals of this Course:
I hope to learn even more ways to use technology in my classroom. I want to bring fresh ideas to my team of teachers and find new ways to challenge our students.
Technology Integration Experience:
Currently at my school we use Canvas as our LMS. I have learned how to effectively use that program. I am excited to use it this semester as a student and see if there are things I could be doing better. In my classroom, I try to bring in new things I learn. This past fall I used Flipgrid, Piktochart, Padlet, Adobe Spark and other programs in my classroom with the students. They love to post short videos on Flipgrid when they have to share ideas. Padlet is used more for exit tickets as a quick way for me to hear from every student. They do not have to put their name so if they get the math wrong no one knows it was them. I just address the whole class and fix the error. In my AVID/ STEM class students made infographics on Piktochart for digital literacy and Lego Robotics. I enjoy finding new ways for them to show off their thinking.
Question and Concerns regarding Technology Integration in the K-12 Setting:
One concern I have is using technology to simply use it. Sometimes a program is really just a glorified worksheet and I do not see that as integration. As an educator, I want to have meaningful use of technology in my classroom. I want my students to use technology to create and share ideas with others.
Another concern is the amount of time students spend on devices. Great technology can not replace the face-to-face interactions students need to learn and grow. I struggle sometimes to find the balance between using technology and using it too much. Sometimes the internet is super slow at school (a whole other concern) and the kids get bored waiting. This takes away from the point of the lesson and the technology. I wonder how to find the perfect balance, if there even is one.
Name: Meagan Leas
Teaching Background: I earned my Bachelor's Degree in 2012 from Arcadia University, in Glenside Pennsylvania. I put my resume out and a charter school here in Rocky Mount NC gave me a call. My husband, son, and I moved here in 2014 so I could teach middle school math at Rocky Mount Preparatory School. I taught 7th grade math there for 4 years.
Current Position: I am currently in my second of teaching high school math at Nash Rocky Mount Early College. I have taught Math 2, Math 3, and Pre-calculus while there. This year they added Freshmen STEM and AVID to my plate. I am loving getting to teach new things.
Why EDTC 6037??
In 2016 I earned my Masters Degree in Instructional Technology from Arcadia University. Then in Fall of 2016 I began my second Masters here at ECU. This past Spring I took EDTC 6070 with Dr. Liao. Through that class I learned useful technology integration skills and actually used the tools and programs with my students. This Spring I needed to take an extra class due to loans and when I saw she had another technology integration class I signed up.
Learning Goals of this Course:
I hope to learn even more ways to use technology in my classroom. I want to bring fresh ideas to my team of teachers and find new ways to challenge our students.
Technology Integration Experience:
Currently at my school we use Canvas as our LMS. I have learned how to effectively use that program. I am excited to use it this semester as a student and see if there are things I could be doing better. In my classroom, I try to bring in new things I learn. This past fall I used Flipgrid, Piktochart, Padlet, Adobe Spark and other programs in my classroom with the students. They love to post short videos on Flipgrid when they have to share ideas. Padlet is used more for exit tickets as a quick way for me to hear from every student. They do not have to put their name so if they get the math wrong no one knows it was them. I just address the whole class and fix the error. In my AVID/ STEM class students made infographics on Piktochart for digital literacy and Lego Robotics. I enjoy finding new ways for them to show off their thinking.
Question and Concerns regarding Technology Integration in the K-12 Setting:
One concern I have is using technology to simply use it. Sometimes a program is really just a glorified worksheet and I do not see that as integration. As an educator, I want to have meaningful use of technology in my classroom. I want my students to use technology to create and share ideas with others.
Another concern is the amount of time students spend on devices. Great technology can not replace the face-to-face interactions students need to learn and grow. I struggle sometimes to find the balance between using technology and using it too much. Sometimes the internet is super slow at school (a whole other concern) and the kids get bored waiting. This takes away from the point of the lesson and the technology. I wonder how to find the perfect balance, if there even is one.
Comments
I have a similar concern as you with the use of technology. When our school first went to 1:1 as iPads. Many teachers were moving their worksheets to the iPad and not allowing students to use the technology to create. We have made great strides to move away from the online worksheet, but it still happens in some classes. As far as finding a balance, one thing I have told the teachers in our system is if you have a great lesson and your students are doing well without using technology, don't change a thing. Look at those standards where students struggle and revamp those lesson plans to allow students to create using technology.
One I forgot to mention is Smore.com. The students made newsletters on how to be prepared for different weather situations, like hurricanes, and floods.