Integrating Technology

Objectives:

1. Define instructional technology
2. Identify available technology resources/tools in your building.
3. Recognize how instructional goals influence how/if technology is integrated.
4. Identify teacher and students roles involved in technology integration.
5. Examine current practices to determine effectiveness of technology usage.
6. Identify examples of effective and ineffective technology integration
7. Apply information to plan a technology integrated lesson.

Starting out: When you think of using technology in the classroom, how do you feel?

Tech integration is not an all or nothing thing. Sometimes it isn’t appropriate to use at all. Today we’ll think of situations that will benefit from tech integration (lesson/unit) and come up with ways to get started. For those who are more experienced, they can help facilitate your group.

Three stages of instructional technology integration:

1. Why To?
   • Why should I care about this?
     • Identify reasons why technology integration is beneficial to teachers and students.
       • Teachers:
         • Immediate data collection to drive instruction
         • Individualize instruction
         • Empower students by providing greater ownership of their learning
         • Change the role of teacher from provider of knowledge to the facilitator.
       • Students:
         • Students have greater ownership of their learning
         • Allows students to create content that reflects the level of their learning. (Bloom’s)
         • Promotes digital skills for lifelong learning, 21st century skills
     • Discuss how technology integration is driven by learning goals, and not technology itself. UBD video
     • Identify how technology changes the roles of the teacher and student? What is different? See above

2. What To?

• List examples of current usage by staff
• Provide additional ideas.
  • Collaborate on a document via cloud computing
    • Allows students to work with peers to demonstrate what they have learned.
  • Create video content to describe, demonstrate or determine mastery of a topic.
    • Create content that is available on demand for students to review
  • Quickly provide formative assessment data to drive instruction
    • Beginning or end of class short assessment to see if students “got it”.
  • Individualize instruction for students
    • Create content sequencing based on student assessment responses.
  • Develop multimedia presentations requiring higher level thinking skills
    • Students create content that demonstrates mastery
  • Dedicate teaching time to projects, problem solving and engaging activities vs. lecture.
    • Flipped/Blended learning approaches.

SAMR Model - “SAMR” is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The SAMR model provides a technique for moving through degrees of technology adoption to find more meaningful uses of technology in teaching and move away from simply using “tech for tech’s sake”.

SAMR Videos - Scroll down the page to view the two videos that explain SAMR.

Technology Integration Matrix - The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) provides a framework for describing and targeting the use of technology to enhance learning. Developed by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology

Computing Technology for Math Excellence - devoted to resources for teaching and learning mathematics (K-12 and calculus), technology integration, and the standards movement in education. CT4ME's major ongoing project is to identify Common Core math resources for teaching and learning.

k12elearning.com - provide you with research based principles and methods for developing a quality course for any learning environment. Includes resources that include distance learning, teacher and student content creation, and lesson planning with technology in mind.

emergingtech.com - 10 of the Most Engaging Uses of Instructional Technology (with Dozens of Resources and Tools). A few years old, but still good info.

3. How To?

• After considering the Whys and Whats, look at specific tools and how to use them effectively to accomplish what you decided upon in the previous steps.
• Discuss prior successes and challenges with using technology.
• We’ll discuss how-to items in follow up sessions.

4. Until next time:

Common sense media - Common Sense is the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. We empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives.

Computing Technology for Math Excellence - devoted to resources for teaching and learning mathematics (K-12 and calculus), technology integration, and the standards movement in education. CT4ME's major ongoing project is to identify Common Core math resources for teaching and learning.

k12elearning.com - provide you with research based principles and methods for developing a quality course for any learning environment. Includes resources that include distance learning, teacher and student content creation, and lesson planning with technology in mind.