What Do You Teach?
1st - 5th Grade
Where Do you Teach?
Highlands Elementary
How Long Have You Been Teaching?
2 years
How Does Educational Technology Play a Role in Your Classroom?
Education technology plays a big role in our gym. We use it to show students diagrams of the activity as well as the steps they can take to be successful. When we have a unit we try to make videos on how to, for example, throw and catch a ball. Our first graders struggle to know how to put on the flag football belts so we have a video on the board that they can go up to and press play to follow the steps on how to put it on. We try to get our students to be as self-sufficient as possible and technology really helps us in this area. We also try to give a variety of instruction so we can reach each student's learning level. We write the instructions, draw them, say them, as well as demonstrate it so we can make sure our students' needs are met on how they receive information.
How Do You Find Technology in the Classroom Helpful?
I find it helpful in being able to make our students self-sufficient and accountable for their actions. We put up slides every day to walk our students through everything we do. Without these, I believe that it would be much more of a challenge in demonstrating and showing students exactly what we expect of them.
What Is Your Favorite Piece of Classroom Technology? Why?
My favorite piece of classroom technology is our promethean board. It is my favorite because I can make slides for our students to be able to see what we are doing and they like seeing this to be able to refer back to it.
What Is On Your Technology Wish List For Your Classroom? Why?
Something that would be on my technology wish list would be to have a projector hanging from the ceiling. Our promethean board is great, but with the number of students we have it would really help to have a projector so all students could see. I also would like black lights in the gym because I see a lot of schools outside the district who do glow in the dark activities and we do a lot of family nights. I feel that this would increase our students' enjoyment of PE if we could do themed activities. Having a black light would really help with this.
What Do You Love Most About Teaching?
I love teaching because I get a chance to be a positive influence on my students' lives. I get to bring joy, excitement, and a love for physical activity to them which is awesome. In P.E. I get to see students show good sportsmanship, kindness, compassion, perseverance, respect, teamwork, and determination. I love being a P.E.teacher and I would do anything for my students to be successful in my gym.
What is one thing you would like to add to your tech wish list? We might be able to get it for you.
A ceiling projector
Rebecca Muery: “Coach Kotlarz uses her creativity to have
interactive PE activities for her students to complete at home. She uses the
technology in a way that discourages students from being couch potatoes with
their IPADS. She has fun, inviting activities for every day of the month for
the students to engage with Technology and physical movement from the comfort
of their home. She is combining her passion for kinesiology with fun learning.”