Technology Integration: What I've Learned

This term I have learned more than I thought I would about integrating technology into the classroom. I entered this class thinking that I knew everything that I needed to know about technology and its uses in the classroom. Through various weekly discussion questions I was able to contemplate the use and effectiveness of technology for students authentically. During week two of this class, one of the discussion questions focused on how we could use technology to personalize and enhance instruction for the betterment of our students. I thought this was such an easy question, but once I pondered it I realized that in the classroom I haven't authentically used technology to personalize and enhance technology. In researching and reading, I learned that some teachers do not believe many technological tools to be effective, beneficial, or educational enough for students. I learned that the right technology, backed by the right curriculum can be effective, beneficial, and educational for students. It's just a matter of trial and error to find the right technology that fits our learners. 

I also learned that technology integration should be effectively researched by teachers. Teachers who research the technology that they integrate into the classroom are truly keeping their students in mind. I once had the thought that technology could just be placed into instruction based solely on the fact that it was related to the topic being learned. But, after one discussion post I realized that just inserting technology into a lesson is not enough. During the eighth week of this course, one discussion post really got me thinking about how important it is for teachers to be continuous learners in the spirit of researching all forms of technology to see what works for our students. I feel that this course has really made me a more informed teacher. I loved websites like Animoto that showed me a great way to help students show and express what they have learned. I feel that I can effectively apply what I have learned in this class into my daily instruction. There are many ways to integrate technology in the classroom, but I have learned how to become that effective teacher who does her research to help my students learn at their best. 

Equal Access to the Digital World!

Providing equal access to the digital world is all about making sure that everyone has the tools, opportunities, and strategies to learn or make themselves productive when using new age technology. The digital world consists of everyone  who uses the internet to learn and research the world around them. Universal design exists to help students with disabilities and all learners in general, in the classroom setting, to learn regardless of their disabilities or various learning styles. By providing equal access to all learners, teachers are setting up accommodations that all students can use to learn. Teachers can accommodate students in the digital world in various ways like finding technological tools in the classroom that will target various learning styles, making sure that computer monitors are adjustable to accommodate their height, having students work in groups to find the solution to a question that requires research, or having students who have visual impairments sit closer to the board so that they can see better. 

Equal access to the digital world also means providing students with equal opportunities to use the technology so that they can become better and more effective at using it. Some students may not have access to a computer at home. This could create a flaw in universal design because students who have a computer in the home may know how to use the technology without much help. While students who do not have access to the digital world in their homes may feel the effects of this disadvantage. By making the technology available for students to manipulate and learn from, teachers are building confidence and providing an equal playing field for all students. Equal access attempts to close the gap between learners, bringing them together to provide success for everyone. Believe it or not, students can feel when they are at a learning disadvantage compared to their peers. Equal access to the digital world fills in that gap by providing students with tools that will accommodate their shortcomings and allow them to learn at their best 

Educational Value of Social Media

Social media is constantly  thought of as a means to gather students for social purposes. Via the internet, students are able to connect through social media forums like Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace. Through these social media forums; students are given a way to stay connected, meet new people, discuss social issues, and learn about different ways of life. But, what if social media could also add helping students learn more effectively to the list? Incorporating social media in classrooms today are valuable because many of our students already know how to navigate it. Students engage in picture sharing, posting videos, commenting on friends timelines, and blog. These are all aspects of social media that teachers can use to reach students most effectively. 

I am including a social media page in my WebQuest that will allow students to post comments and interact with their classmates based on questions that I will be posting each day via Twitter. According to Taylor, King, and Nelson "Social media is internet based technologies that allow more free flowing communication among its users (Taylor, King, and Nelson, 2012, p.30)." This is one important reason for my decision to utilize Twitter for my social media page. Twitter allows multiple posts to be allowed from multiple people. Since my students are younger, we will use these posts as more of discussion pieces. But, parents can comment on anything that they feel should be added or how an aspect of our WebQuest could be better. 

I have decided to center our WebQuest around student exploration and discovery. Social media pages allow parents and children to discuss what we are learning in a more authentic way. The Twitter page that I am using can create a sense of community. As a result of the use of social media, students are more involved and more likely to become engaged in what they are learning. According to Taylor, King, and Nelson "a strong relationship between these 3 essential goals for classroom learning (i.e. students becoming more involved, pedagogy that improves learning,  and wanting to enhance meaningful learning) (Taylor, King, and Nelson, 2012, p.33)." These are the goals that I have designed for our WebQuest and hope that our students will gain an understanding of this to enhance their learning. Please feel free to visit my social media page on Twitter here. 

References

Taylor, R., King, F., & Nelson, G. (2012). Student learning through social media. Journal of Sociological Research, 3(2), 29-35. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1032658405?accountid=3783 

Grocery Store WebQuest Update!

Very soon we’ll be completing a WebQuest that will teach us more about adding and subtracting using decimals. We’re going to go shopping at the grocery store. We will use our computers to complete the WebQuest, think of it as a virtual field trip. First you will learn about prices. You will learn that everything we buy, in any store, has a price. You will learn that the price tells us how much something costs.  Sometimes that price is a decimal. You’ll see links (that will take you to other websites) and other tools on the web that help us learn how to add and subtract using decimals. You will  draw, write, and create in this WebQuest to help you become masters of adding and subtracting decimals. 

Towards the end of this WebQuest, I will give you some money and you will shop on your own. You will create a grocery list and find the items that you need at the grocery store. You will look for the prices and think about how much everything costs so that you can find the total. You will draw out or cut out the items that you buy, and then put them on your poster. When you have done this, you will show your total. You must not go over the amount that I have given you. On the poster, you will show me how much you spent, and how much money you have left (if you have any left). You will also tell me how many items you bought. You cannot use a calculator for this assignment. I am excited for us to begin this WebQuest and hope you enjoy it!

Educational Value of Animoto

Animoto is awesome!! Not only are you able to create a photo collage that goes with a topic, but you can also use music to enhance the video! I think this application would be great for students because it gives them another way to show what they know. Using this application teachers could give students a topic and work out how to use Animoto with them to create a video that showcases understanding. I would have students working in groups to create an Animoto video, where they have to work together to compile pictures for that topic and music that enhances the video. Here is my video about the WebQuest that I am currently in the process of creating. This WebQuest involves the grocery store setting. I will help students learn through experience by using the grocery store as a means to teach students adding, subtracting, reading, and writing skills through experience with a setting that should be familiar to them. I hope you enjoy!! Also, please tell me what you think :)

Make your own slideshow at Animoto.

For the next two weeks I am off work for our first intercession (I teach in a Head Start program- every few months we have breaks for the sanity of the teachers and students, more so the teachers :) ) of the year. I miss my two year-olds so much!! But, I know pretty soon they'll have me running around and keeping me on my toes. During this period, I can't help but think about how much they already know. I also can't help but think about how much they are learning every day from the world around them. Although they are only two, they are just as influenced by technology as we are. Although many of my students are growing up without computers in the home, they are however gaining an understanding of technology from television, cellular phones, etc... Deep in thought, I was wondering how young is too young to integrate our students in technology.  In my classroom, I have not introduced computers or tablets such as the iPad. I feel that this may overwhelm them. Is there or should there be an age limit on when students should be allowed to practice using a computer or operating an iPad? Would it be too much too soon? Like when you ride a roller-coaster there is a height requirement. This requirement protects those who are too short and could get hurt when riding that type of ride. Inquiring minds would love to know, should technology have an age limit?

Educational Value of Wordle

Words are usually our best means of describing anything in life. Words enrich descriptions of what we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. As students grow, they learn new words that help them cognitively to describe the world around them. Wordle is a great way to get students to use words to describe objects in our world. Using Wordle, I did just that! I used words to describe what I wanted my students to learn from the Web Quest that they will be using. The way that words are arranged allows students to see the words differently and understand that they relate to one topic or theme. Imagine that every student has an iPad or computer and is using it to create their own Wordle on a topic learned in class. After students share some of their words, every student will learn at least one new word to describe that topic before the end of the lesson.

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5780505/EDU_533_blog_wordle