Incorporating Technology into Instruction GCU EAD-523 Jill Swartwout November 28, 2017

Today’s Objectives Today we will understand why it is important to incorporate technology into instruction to help achievement and to support the school mission and vision. Today we will become with a variety of activities that teachers can implement into their instruction that incorporate the use of technology. We have two main goals today: To learn WHY we should be using technology in our teaching and learning. To learn HOW to incorporate technology into our teaching and learning.

Mission and Vision These are our school Vision and Mission statements as seen on our school website. As you can see, the vision and mission have our students striving for academic achievement in academics and to do so through a well-rounded education which incorporates not only core classes and the arts but also the use of technology to maintain a culture of excellence. We are great, our lessons are great, but they can be taken to a whole other level with the use of technology in teaching and learning.

Technology is Everywhere Technology is everywhere. Children these days see technology everywhere and that does not have to be a negative thing. When used appropriately technology can enhance instruction and increase student engagement and motivation which leads to better retention of information and skills (Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning, n.d.). Therefore, it is important to make use of technology in our teaching and learning wherever it fits.

Classroom Management When used properly and with purpose, technology can decrease distraction and increate interest and engagement. Apps, such as Class Dojo, can serve for behavior tracking and maintaining reward systems. Technology in Communication Email Class Dojo Remind.com Communication: One key to maintaining positive classroom behavior from your students is to keep constant communication with their parents. Email helps to make that easy these days but thanks to advances in technology not only on the computer but on smartphones, there are now apps such as Class Dojo and Remind that allow the teacher to download the app and invite parents to download the app as well. Within the app the teacher can post notices about class events, upcoming trips, projects and assignments but they can also have a direct messaging line of communication with parents that works much like text messaging (but the teacher can set limits as to what times of day they can be notified of an incoming message so as to not interrupt their home/family life). Some of these apps even have behavior management systems within them that involve students earning points and the teacher sets rewards that can be earned when students reach set numbers of points. Kids love checking their accounts to see how many points they have so it is an incentive to work hard and show positive behaviors.

Introducing the New Technology For Teachers Everyone will have a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a projector, a document camera, and a Promethean Board for teacher use. Professional Development will provide training on using devices and on how to incorporate them into lessons. For Students 1 – 3 student computers in the classroom. Access to one of 2 computer labs or a laptop cart. Don’t try to fit a lot of new technology into one lesson when starting out. Introduce new technology in stages. Be careful not to use too much technology. Always have a backup plan. We will provide training on devices for anyone who is not comfortable with any particular device. We will also provide opportunities for everyone to observe technology being used in everyday lessons. This may be by way of a demonstration by the technology teacher or by doing peer observations of teachers who already use a lot of technology in their lessons. One thing to keep in mind when incorporating technology into your lessons is that children still need to have a variety of learning opportunities so you need to find a good balance of the use of technology and other teaching methods that you are currently using. Also….ALWAYS be sure to have a backup plan. You never know if the internet will disconnect or if a projector bulb will burn out, so you should always have a back up plan in mind for this these types of things occur.

Using an Interactive Whiteboard Promethean Boards at TJEMS More than just a projection screen. Works with Active Inspire software on your computer. Like a touch screen device with the use of Active pens or wands for the user to guide the cursor on the screen just like a mouse would. Can be used with websites, pre- created flip charts, or flip charts that you create yourself with Active Inspire software. For ANY subject! TJEMS has Promethean boards available for all teachers. These are not devices that one would have in their home so they tend to be the most intimidating to use. TO start getting comfortable with a Promethean board, it is a good idea to use it as a large touch screen computer. Simply connect it to your computer and pull up any website you want to use with your students and use the Active Pen or Active Wand to use the board as a touchscreen (Professional, n.d.). Once you and your students are comfortable with this, start checking out flipchart activities that are available online for all subject areas or create your own with the Active Inspire software on your computer. As you can see in this picture, the student is putting words in order for a complete sentence with this flipchart activity.

Using the Computer Lab/Laptop Cart The possibilities are seemingly endless with a computer for every student! You can have students use computers for: Research Word Processing Presentations Website Development Blogging Virtual and Distance Learning

One Student Computer? No Problem! Centers Group Work Rewards/Incentives Intervention/Enhancem ent Even if you only have one computer in your classroom for students and you can’t secure a lab spot or the laptop cart, you can still use computer effectively! It just takes some careful management and planning. The simple way in which you an utilize a single computer is to offer computer time as a reward for students that display exceptional behavior (or as an incentive to students who have trouble showing good behavior and need a little motivation). Another way in which a cingle computer can be used is for students to work together as a small group on an assignment using the computer. It is important for students, at a young age, to learn to take turns and each take on a role in a project. This can be done as a regular assignment or as a center rotation during center time. Individual students can also be given time ont eh computer to work on skills they need extra work on.

Technology for Assessment Standardized Testing Progress Monitoring Diagnostic Assessments Class Quiz sites and apps Kahoot Quizizz Many school systems are taking to administering all assessment on the computer and our school system is one of them. We are fortunate to have two full computer labs and two laptop carts that are in good working order for assessment times. You can also give assessments in your class that apply to your current lessons using websites and apps such as Kahoot and Quizizz. If you secure the ten iPads that we have or if any of your students have a smartphone or tablet or ipod of their own they can download these apps and work together to answer quiz games with these apps to demonstrate their knowledge.

Assessment/Evaluation Please take a few moments to fill out the evaluation that is being handed out and return it to your presenter. Thank you for your time and interest in incorporating technology into your instruction! If you have any follow up questions, please feel free to email me any time at JASwartwout@bcps.k12.md.us. Stay tuned for future PD sessions and presentations on how to incorporate technology into other areas of instruction.

References Professional. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2017, from https://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/benefits-of-interactive- whiteboards.htm. Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.ed.gov/oii-news/use-technology-teaching-and- learning. Who We Are: Vision & Mission. (2017). Retrieved October 12 , 2017, from http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/4960.