Technology Integration: What I've Learned.

Throughout this course,  I was constantly thinking about how I use digital tools in the classroom and my everyday interactions with them in all places. Being a digital native (someone who grew up using digital tools), I always knew that using technology and digital tools was an important part of being a teacher in the 21st century and taking this course solidified that.

I also knew it was important to let students use the technology. Before taking this course, I didn’t always know the best ways to do that. I have access to a lot of different tools, but I didn’t fully understand the value they can have when connected directly to the curriculum. I had students using a word processor, blogging and using Study Island. After taking this course and realizing the value of a WebQuest I know I will start using them more frequently and across content areas.

I learned that there are many tools available for teachers to help with personalized instruction and enhance learning in the classroom. Wissick, Shweder and Gardner (2004) state “Technology tools such as speech recognition, verbal feedback, and word prediction can make learning accessible allowing students and teachers more opportunities to communicate, conduct investigations, and develop products.“ Various technologies have been used and experimented in special education over many years to help accommodate students who are nonverbal, have difficulties with reading and writing, and more. There are many apps and websites that are designed to help students read books while listening to the story, there are apps to help students understand concepts of number and base ten, there are also apps that allow to students to create their own stories and presentations using visuals and audio recordings. These tools help students with special needs access information, but it also helps all students share what they know in a creative way.

Wissick, Shweder and Gardner (2004) also point out that technology can be engaging to a passive or disengaged student. I agree with that sentiment and see how engaging it can be for my students. My students really enjoy listening to stories on those same apps that I just mentioned, as well as, on the computer on sites like TumbleBooks. My students also show high engagement when they are working on my WebQuest. After coming back from Thanksgiving break I started using the WebQuest with my class. They helped me notice things I need to adjust and they also were really excited to use the computers to learn. They loved that I included different sites that allowed them to not only read different poems but to listen to them. They loved creating their own and got extremely excited about sharing one of their creations on our classroom KidBlog.

During my new teacher orientation at my current school, I was introduced to SMAR. It is a continuum of technology use that shows how the use of technology can vary and what it looks like at each level of the continuum. Many teachers and schools are still in the S and A range and we should strive for the M and R. Before taking this class, I knew what the continuum was ,but I didn’t think much about that it actually meant for educators.There is lack of integration or using technology in ways that are the most meaningful. I believe this comes from teachers not having access to digital tools or understanding how how to fully integrate due to a lack of professional development or administrative support. I think that stressing the importance of technology use at all levels, promotion of equity, grant writing and professional development aimed at integrating technology in easy, meaningful ways will help overcome the obstacles teachers face.

I have learned a lot and reinforced what I already knew. After taking this course, I am going to continue to try new technologies and digital tools in my classroom. I will think about using them for specific purposes to use them in the most meaningful ways possible and I will think about how I can use them to promote access to learning for all of my students.

Resources:

SAMR Model - Technology Is Learning. (n.d.). SAMR Model - Technology Is Learning. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model

Wissick, C. A., Schweder, W., & Gardner, J. (2004). Technology applications to support diverse learners. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from http://www.ed.sc.edu/caw/sitepaper2004.pdf

Equal Access to the Digital World!

What does it mean to "provide equal access to the digital world"?

To provide equal access to the digital world, teachers need to have a variety of tools and a flexible curriculum. Teachers need a variety of tools because not all students are able to access a netbook because they can not use a keyboard, they may not be able to see the keys or may not have the physical ability to type or more a mouse. There are a variety of tools available to help students who are visually impaired or have mobility restraints, the tool that will work best for each student will vary. It is important for there to be a flexible curriculum because students will need to access information differently, they will need to be able to express what they have learned differently and they will need to engage in with the information differently. Under Universal Design for Learning (UDL), this flexibility is stressed. According to CAST (2013), "UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs." 

CAST: Universal Design for Learning. (n.d.). CAST: About UDL. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html

Educational Value of Social Media

Social media is a tool that many of us use in our personal lives. It allows us to stay connected people we know and up to date on news, updated technology, information and events near and far. When used correctly, it can be used in the classroom as a collaborative tool. I love using blogs with students because it allows us to communicate and share ideas while beginning to navigate the tools available to us through technology. Shantel Scott makes the point that students today come to school connected. Teachers have a greater task ahead of them now. We not only need to teach traditional curriculum, but we need to teach students how to be digitally literate and use social media responsibly. In order to do this, we need to expose students to different kinds of social media and show them how to use it.

I will be using KidBlog with students through out the WebQuest and I will also be using Twitter. Students will actively participate in the blog and I will tweet updates and share new resources with students and parents. Time to Tweet!


Scott, S. M. (2012). Go ahead ... be social: Using social media to enhance the twenty-first century classroom. Distance Learning, 9(2), 54-59. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1034600860?accountid=3783

Welcome to the Web Quest

Welcome to the poetry Web Quest!

Over the next few weeks we will use this Web Quest to guide our learning and exploration of poetry. We will listen to and read poetry created by famous poets and amateur poets. We will discuss the features of poetry and then we will create our own poems. We will end the Web Quest by using various tools to take the poems and create unique pieces of art by adding visuals and sound to our words. Remember to be creative and have fun! I look forward to seeing all of your creations!

Educational Value of Animoto

The Sky is a Bowl of Ice

I created this video using Animoto. I found that it was a great tool for making short videos with pictures, music and captions. I could see my class using it to express poetry in a technological way, highlight interesting facts they learned or main ideas from a story.  Another potential classroom application is using it as a tool to share highlights from classroom events and celebrations with the community. The free version allows you to create short 30 second clips. 30 seconds is perfect for short poems such as haikus!



Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto.

Educational Value of Wordle or Tagxedo

When I was a student, I loved writing and reading poetry. I loved and still love how creative and concise it is. In only a few words you can be transported to someplace new, feel the wind in your hair or smell the salt from the ocean. This blog will be used to help share that experience and love with my students.

There are many web 2.0 tools available to use today. Two of the tools that we can use to create art with words are Wordle or Tagxedo. I chose to use Tagxedo because I found it worked without needing to update various applications on my computer. Both are very user friendly and would be easy for students to use. I can see them being applied for a number of applications including: highlighting "juicy" words, spelling words or other vocabulary or theme words. Creating fun labels or name art, creating story covers, or expressing a poem in a unconventional way.