Monique Fennell Flora Dalit-Kakudo Margaret Patrick Integrating Technology

Integrating Technology into the Curriculum As teachers, we have a responsibility of making learning fun and meaningful for our students. Integrating technology into boring old lessons will help bring life to old lessons.

Integrating technology into classroom instruction means More than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals.

Why Technology? Student engagement is the key to success in the classroom Technology integration plays an enormous role in student engagement – The effectiveness of technology integration into education is largely dependent upon its ability to engage students into learning (Sadik, 2008) Meaningful integration is achieved when students are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally (Sadik, 2008)

Why Technology? We live in a society that operates in constant change – in order to meet the needs of today’s students, successfully integrating technology in the classroom is imperative. – Using technology can increase the communication and collaboration among students and teachers, as well as provide additional resources and different media through which students can present their ideas (Gilmore, 2008).

Why Technology? Technology tools that can be used effectively in the classroom to improve student learning can be classified into four basic types (Sadik, 2008): – Informative tools – these are applications that store and provide vast amounts of information in different formats Databases, online encyclopedias, and web resources – Situating tools – systems that situate students in an environment where they may experience the context Simulation programs and games

Why Technology? Four types of technology continued: – Communicative tools – systems that facilitate communication between the student and others Discussion boards and blogs – Constructive tools – general purpose tools that can be used for manipulating information, constructing students’ own knowledge, or producing a specific product PowerPoint and Word

Technology in the Classroom It is important to know that technology integration is not: - a “one size fits all” concept where teachers have to use the same instructional technology lessons and/or activities as their colleagues - activity driven where teachers must have “many” specific skills to be competent in using technology (Wepner, 2006)

Technology in the Classroom It is important for you to be comfortable in using educational technology with your class. Find a technology tool that works best for you and your students, such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.

Technology in the Classroom In one technology study, three teachers had different and successful agendas in using technology with their students and this was solely based upon their own unique backgrounds, responsibilities and contexts. - Nancy “had her students learn how to become informed users of reading/language arts software and websites” - Liqing “had his students become proficient with web-based learning” - Shelley “had her students make optimal use of the technology available in their classrooms” (Wepner, 2006)

Technology in the Classroom These three teachers implemented different types of instructional technology for different purposes, yet, all still used some type of technology in their lessons. There are many and different technological equipment and educational software programs that teachers can choose from. It is up to you to decide which ones would work best for you to better promote student academic achievement.

Internet Use in Schools There are many reasons to why Internet use would be beneficial in any educational institution. Three valuable reasons would be that of: Research Creating a Website Online Assessment (Kelly, 2008)

Internet Use in Schools Research Research is the number one reason why the Internet is used by millions of people. A wealth of information opens to students in educational institutions providing them with what they need. Often, school libraries may not have the information for which they seek, such as in magazines or books. The Internet helps in finding a solution to this dilemma. Example of research project: Using this site Lecture Outline Series for the History of China, students can directly research from this site and then present information they find (Kelly, 2008).Lecture Outline Series for the History of China

Internet Use in Schools Creating a Website Creating Websites and publishing what a class has personally created or researched would be very exciting for students. Example of a Website: collection of short stories written by students, collection of poems written by students, or information from science fair projects (Kelly, 2008)

Internet Use in Schools Online Assessments Teachers can create on-line tests through their own website. For more information, check out this website: TeacherVision at eachervision.com/webcreate/1%252C2610%252C%252C00.html (Kelly, 2008)

Create Centers  Position your classroom computers in an area away from the desks so that your students aren’t distracted when they’re not using them. Students will feel like it’s more special to use the computer if it’s in a section of the classroom that isn’t used that often. It will be more of a treat for them to use the computer if it’s something that isn’t in full view all the time. (Johnson, 2008)

Feel Comfortable with Technology  If you’re not adept with computers then take a course so you can be on a par with your students. It seems that even the younger kids are pros with computers that you need to be able to be on their level (Johnson 2008).

Useful Sites for Integrating Technology-Virtual Field Trips  Colonial Williamsburg - Colonial Williamsburg  Cow Eye Dissection - Cow Eye Dissection  Desert Field Trip - Desert Field Triphttp://  Endangered Species - Endangered Specieshttp://  Frog Dissection page - Frog Dissection  The Grand Canyon - The Grand Canyonhttp://  The Heart: An Online Exploration from the Franklin Institute - The Heart: An Online Exploration (Mitchell 2008)

More Virtual Field Trips  Hurricane Field Trip - The Louvre Hurricane Field Trip  and  Monticello -  Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon  National Air and Space Museum - Washington, D.C.- National Air and Space Museum  National Zoological Park in D.C.- National Zoological Parkhttp://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm  Oceans Field Trip - Oceans Field Trip  Rainforest Field Trip - Field Trip  Virtual Tour of McMurdo Station Antarctica - Virtual Tour of McMurdo Station Antarctica  Volcanoes- Volcanoes (Mitchell 2008)

Activities for the “1” Computer classroom  Weather - Intellicast or The Weather Channel or The Weather UndergroundIntellicastThe Weather ChannelThe Weather Underground  Printable Maps from National Geographic - Maps  Daily Almanac - This Day in History and Word of the Day - Daily Almanac  Tides - information about NH - Tides  Moon Phases - check out the moon's phase during the school day - also past and future - what was the moon like on your birthday? Moon Phases  Strategies and Applications from Linda Burkhart - Strategies and Applications (Mitchell 2008)

Ideas to help get you started  Develop a hotlist for a topic your class will study  Collect and print Internet lesson plans  Design an electronic field trip for your class/use web cams  Develop an activity from one of the museums  Find a rubric for use in your classroom  Create a lesson on evaluating web sites  Use several search engines to collect Internet sites for your use  Select or create a web quest for use in your classroom  Find an Internet project that interests you  Design an Internet project with your class and others at your school  Develop a web page for a topic you teach  Create a scavenger hunt for your class  Begin a classroom web page (Mitchell 2008)

References Integrating technology into the classroom. (2008). From classroom.html classroom.html Integrating the Internet into the classroom. (2008). Retrieved on October 20, 2008, from Gilmore, A. (2008). Technology in the classroom. Certification Magazine, 10 (10), Kelly, M. (2008). Integrating Technology Into the Classroom. Retrieved on October 20, 2008, from Sadik, A. (2008). Digital Storytelling: A meaningful technology-integrated approach for engaged student learning. Educational Technology Research & Development, 56 (4), Wepner, S. B., Tao, L. & Ziomek, N.M. (2006). Broadening Our View About Technology Integration: Three Literacy Educators’ Perspectives. Reading Horizons, 46(3), Retrieved on October 20, 2008, from ProQuest database. Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many. (2008) Retrieved on October 21, 2008, from