The Tech Savvy Teacher

Many teacher are looking for new creative ways to teach their students. They want to make the teaching of any subject fun and effective so they can reach all of their students in class. In this article I will discuss how technology can provide teachers with at least one new creative way of teaching students. For this activity I relied on the first grade Core Standard 3, Objective 1 of the Utah Core Curriculum. The purpose of this activity was to "investigate plants and plant growth".

We observed different types of plants outside and described some characteristics about each plant (color, shape, etc.) As we observed different types of plants we collected leaves from some of them and took them to the classroom. In the classroom we used a Microscope to look at each sample in more detail. Again, we looked at each leave and described different characteristics about each one. Now we were describing what we saw through the microscope (line direction, different colors that made up the leave, texture, etc.)

We discussed the way that plants grow from seeds and the process of growth that they use. We also discussed the different ways that plants help people, and what they do for us. For example, fruits grow on plants. Trees give shade to people. Trees also provide oxygen for us to breath.


The Microscope was and is an excellent tool of technology that can be used in the classroom easily. It will provide the students a new way of learning about many different things. By using the Microscope the students were able to observe and collect more detailed data about each leave. They were able to analyze how each leave is made, and that all leaves and therefore plants are different and unique.