Technology integration is not as easy as it might seem. You cannot simply let students use a computer in some way during the lesson and say that you are integrating technology. You have to plan to use the technology so that it is beneficial for the students and meets the needs of your lesson.
The first step is planning. Before you begin working on the lesson, you need to become familiar with some ideas behind technology integration. You need to be aware of the current research regarding technology integration and some of the basic tenets that underlie the use of technology. First and most important, the students should be active in the learning process. Any learning that takes place should be authentic and have real world applications. The children should become the explorers and producers of the learning experience. They should work in cooperative groups when appropriate and be adept at using various technology skills. The best assessments are performance based ones that allow the children to showcase their talents. Teachers also need to be able to create a central idea for each unit or planner that will allow the children to develop their own questions to help frame their inquiry into the central idea. Teachers need to become familiar with scoring guides that will allow them to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology activities within a unit or planner. A good scoring guide is the Technology Integration Matrix that was created by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. Teachers should now have a good background knowledge regarding technology integration.
The next step in the process of technology integration is to identify learning goals and objectives. Teachers should review their district's own curriculum guidelines, such as Houston ISD's CLEAR Online. From these curriculum guidelines, the teachers should define the learning goals for their students. The teachers should also being to think about where technology can be successfully integrated into the learning process. With the learning goals identified, the teachers can move onto the next stop in the planning process.
The teachers should begin to develop the assessments for the unit or planner. Within the unit or planner, there should be self-assessments for the children to ensure they have a quality product that showcases their learning achievements. There should be formative assessments after each activity or lesson and a summative assessment at the end of the unit or planner. The teachers might also want to build in opportunities for informal assessments like teacher observations. The children could create a multimedia project for the summative assessment that would include a video or audio file. The summative assessment should aslo be at the higher end of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.
Now the teachers can begin to develop the activities within the unit or planner. Activities in the planner or unit should help increase the student's knowledge about the central idea. It is during this part of the planning process that the teaches can decide on the technology activities that will be included in the unit or planner. These activities should be focused on the children's interests and their world. The activities should be challenging for the students, allow them to go through the decision making process and express their creativity. The students could use online resources to gather their data and could create a blog to share their research findings.
The teachers should now create the timeline for the unit or planner and identify the resources necessary for the students to be successful. In regards to technology, the teacher may want to identify age appropriate websites or create templates that can be utilized by the children. When working with the timeline, teachers need to decide when they are going to need technology and make the arrangements to have it ready.
With thoughtful planning, the teachers should have created a unit or planner that has utilized technology to the fullest. The integration of technology should be authentic and beneficial for the children.
Resources
Florida Center for Instructional Technology. Technology Integration Matrix. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.html .
Kent School District. Technology Integration: Unit Planning. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/tech/proj_plan.html#0 .
Krummes’ Index Page. Major Categories in the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Retrieved March 29, 2010, from http://www.krummefamily.org/guides/bloom.html .
Marra, T. University of Michigan. Authentic Learning. Retrieved March 29, 2010, from http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tmarra/authenticity/authen.html .
The first step is planning. Before you begin working on the lesson, you need to become familiar with some ideas behind technology integration. You need to be aware of the current research regarding technology integration and some of the basic tenets that underlie the use of technology. First and most important, the students should be active in the learning process. Any learning that takes place should be authentic and have real world applications. The children should become the explorers and producers of the learning experience. They should work in cooperative groups when appropriate and be adept at using various technology skills. The best assessments are performance based ones that allow the children to showcase their talents. Teachers also need to be able to create a central idea for each unit or planner that will allow the children to develop their own questions to help frame their inquiry into the central idea. Teachers need to become familiar with scoring guides that will allow them to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology activities within a unit or planner. A good scoring guide is the Technology Integration Matrix that was created by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. Teachers should now have a good background knowledge regarding technology integration.
The next step in the process of technology integration is to identify learning goals and objectives. Teachers should review their district's own curriculum guidelines, such as Houston ISD's CLEAR Online. From these curriculum guidelines, the teachers should define the learning goals for their students. The teachers should also being to think about where technology can be successfully integrated into the learning process. With the learning goals identified, the teachers can move onto the next stop in the planning process.
The teachers should begin to develop the assessments for the unit or planner. Within the unit or planner, there should be self-assessments for the children to ensure they have a quality product that showcases their learning achievements. There should be formative assessments after each activity or lesson and a summative assessment at the end of the unit or planner. The teachers might also want to build in opportunities for informal assessments like teacher observations. The children could create a multimedia project for the summative assessment that would include a video or audio file. The summative assessment should aslo be at the higher end of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.
Now the teachers can begin to develop the activities within the unit or planner. Activities in the planner or unit should help increase the student's knowledge about the central idea. It is during this part of the planning process that the teaches can decide on the technology activities that will be included in the unit or planner. These activities should be focused on the children's interests and their world. The activities should be challenging for the students, allow them to go through the decision making process and express their creativity. The students could use online resources to gather their data and could create a blog to share their research findings.
The teachers should now create the timeline for the unit or planner and identify the resources necessary for the students to be successful. In regards to technology, the teacher may want to identify age appropriate websites or create templates that can be utilized by the children. When working with the timeline, teachers need to decide when they are going to need technology and make the arrangements to have it ready.
With thoughtful planning, the teachers should have created a unit or planner that has utilized technology to the fullest. The integration of technology should be authentic and beneficial for the children.
Resources
Florida Center for Instructional Technology. Technology Integration Matrix. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.html .
Kent School District. Technology Integration: Unit Planning. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/tech/proj_plan.html#0 .
Krummes’ Index Page. Major Categories in the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Retrieved March 29, 2010, from http://www.krummefamily.org/guides/bloom.html .
Marra, T. University of Michigan. Authentic Learning. Retrieved March 29, 2010, from http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tmarra/authenticity/authen.html .
Dean,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. Technology can be beneficial in any profession, but it seems the possibilities are beyond boundries in the classroom. You bring up a very good point in that PLANNING is critical. I believe that poor planning or no planning is a recipe for disaster and is why many teachers shy away from intergrating technology into their lessons. Nothing like trying out the smart board for your PDAS and watching your kiddos go bonkers like getting a new toy for Christmas infront of your administrator. Sad, but true... that may be the only time some teachers entertain the use of technology all year :(