Chapter 4: Integrating Technology and Creating Change

Focus Question: How can teachers use technology they already  have to promote successful learning?

Photo Credit to Eurleif on Flickr

Teachers must be prepared to utilize the technology they already have in their classroom. Whether those classrooms are up-to-date and the teacher and students have the ability to use high-speed WiFi on their personal, touch screen tablets or out-dated computers with pre-programmed, out-dated software all technologies should be used to its fullest abilities. Smart boards are very impressive but even a single computer connected to a digital projector can be beneficial to holding a student's attention. Personal computers with powerful processors and intense graphics are incredible but watching a short documentary on an old tube television and VCR then creating a group activity revoloved around the program that was watched could be just as engaging.

Tech Tool: Edutopia

Simply put, I was hugely impressed with Edutopia. The amount of extremely useful resources that are made available were staggering. The video An Introduction to a Project-Based learning was inspiring and intriguing and the the video Collaborative Learning Builds Deeper Understanding showed the many benefits to group work. The message board on teaching Social Studies was right up my alley and very interesting to read.  Just being able to watch extremely talented teachers do what they do best was great fun to watch. Edutopia was a wonderful website to visit with endless information and ideas on teaching and somewhere I could see myself visiting very often.


Summary and Connection:

Chapter Four of Transforming Learning With New Technologies by Maloy, R.W., Verock-­‐O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P had great information on how teachers can integrate technology into the classroom and their professional career. "Teacher Mindset" was an interesting subject that states how instructors must understand how technology can enable students to find success in the classroom and how technology should be seen as an essential tool to enhance the curriculum but not be totally controlled by it. Technology should been seen as seasoning to enhance the flavor of the lesson plan not as the main course. The text book asks, "What can teachers and students do with technology that can not be done with out it", and I believe our teaching method when partnered with technology should reflect this question. The text book has great information how technology can be utilized in the classroom to best present academic material and create interactive learning but also how technology can be used to complete administrative tasks (e.g. email, networking, grade and attendance record keeping).

How Technology Can Enhance a Student's Learning Experience 

1. Amplify the learner's thinking and transcend the limitations of the mind.
2. Engage and facilitate cognitive processing
3. Serve as critical thinking devices
4. Act as intellectual partners
5. Engage learners in representing, manipulating, and reflecting on what they know, not reproducing what someone tells them.

Food For Blog: Students who do not have the same level of access to computers and high-speed internet as their peers in school will often times participate in class far less and fall far behind in terms of skills and competencies with technology. A chilling fact that will no doubt increase the gap between successful students who have the privilege of having permanent access to the latest advances in technology and those who do not and suffer academically for it.
    

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2010). Transforming learning with new technologies. Allyn & Bacon.