Current Use of Technology in My Classroom

I think the main technological advance that I would not be able to live/teach without is the computer. My overall teaching career would be completely different if I didn't have a computer. First and foremost, everyday I put a daily sheet up on the overhead projector, yes I could use overhead transparencies, but that wouldn't be very environmentally friendly being that I am a Biology teacher. Also, I teach freshman and during the course of a unit I lecture 2-3 times. I like to use powerpoint in order to allow my students to follow along and learn proper note-taking skills. Another aspect is Word Processing on the computer. Without Microsoft Office, everything would either have to be hand written or typed on a typewrite. Which requires perfect typing skills and no room for grammatical error. Finally, without the invention of the computer, we wouldn't have the web, email, or IM. Without these tools it would make communication between myself and my students/teachers much more sparse and difficult. As of right now, I have 50 of my 120 students already IMed me, plus I frequently email with both students and parents. It enables the students/parents to keep on top of their classroom work and grades.

My current passion are the Student Response Systems (SRS). I'm trying to always continually engage my students with different types of technologies. The SRS remotes allow the students to use a common remote which makes them feel like it's a game (and sometimes I will incorporate like a review game. This keeps them engaged and also allows me to see where my students are having trouble and address it right away.