Classroom Technology - Becca Cassata

Part of a Student series looking at student views/voice on technology use in District 230

Positive Technology

    Technology has a tremendous effect on my academic experience. Besides the handy access to my grades on Skyward (a little too handy for my parents’ access), easier accessibility to in-class resources benefits me, as well as my peers, in more ways than one. Specifically, Canvas allows for an organized platform to see PowerPoint's from class allowing a more dynamic schedule for homework and studying. Because resources are available online, students benefit from being able to pull up Canvas elements at anytime. The Chromebooks distributed often in class provide me a more personal, mobile gateway for research and completing more modern presentations. With more access, I create various study tools and presentations to share with my classes. The Google account administered by the school including Google Drive has drastically changed how I approach my work; I can now share and edit with greater ease. In short, technology positively impacts my daily academic life.

    To elaborate, the most recent case of technology’s benefits was Skyping with a Spanish pen-pal. The fun communication, although containing some glitches and buffering issues, provided a unique learning extension. The ability to communicate in real time tested the skills we had been practicing in a new light. To take advantage of such a connection, my class continues to communicate through video chat or videos in general. This technology further improves our capability to speak in real life situations.  In general, this technology essentially extends what we know and tests it at a grander scene.

    To summarize, my technological experience has been quite beneficial. Despite minimal connection issues, technology has undoubtedly changed how I approach learning and creating. Canvas allows me to study with greater ease and Google allows me to create with more options. Plus, Skype and other unique situations extends the classroom topic to a broader scale, demonstrating how what we learn in school is in the real world-something students ponder on a daily basis. The technological opportunities at Sandburg spark my will to learn more.

Becca Cassata
Carl Sandburg High School Student