Technology Reflection
Technology should be integrated into every classroom; however, it should be integrated in a way that it is enhancing the learning of the students using the technology. It should not be used for solely drill and practice or thrown into a lesson without careful consideration. We have learned throughout the semester of the importance of integrating technology that will help students with their learning goals in a meaningful way. A guiding concept that should be used by all while integrating technology was presented in the article Learning First, Technology Second, “In technology tools must encourage meaningful learning, where the technology is extending the learning from students’ preexisting learning and helping them create new knowledge (Wartella, 2015), rather than just reinforcing old knowledge or only giving students isolated knowledge. (Learning First Technology Second 12). Teachers tend to integrate technology into their lessons with the goal of gaining student interest or simply because it is expected by their curriculum. The technology must provide scaffolding for students learning or enhance it so students get more out of a lesson than they would without the technology.
Technology should be integrated into a classroom when there is an active learning environment. The teacher must use a teaching style that motivates students to focus on their objectives and get them interested in increasing their knowledge. “To instruct someone… is not a matter of getting him to commit results to mind. Rather, it is to teach him to participate in the process that makes possible the establishment of knowledge” (Learning First, Technology Second. quoting Bruner). Students have to be actively engaged in the learning for technology to be integrated into a lesson without it impeding or having no purpose in the lesson. There has to be expectations of the students use of the technology during the lesson and explicitly how they should be benefiting from the technology. “One element of a truly engaged learner is an environment of active learning. Active learning occurs when students are dynamically focused on the learning goals and not just busy doing what looks like learning.” (Learning First, Technology Second 12). Technology should be integrated when the students have had the technology modeled for them and clear expectations have been set. Technology integration must be carefully planned by teacher. If they include technology into a lesson prior to students being ready for it, they will continue to use technology inappropriately throughout the year.
Technology should be integrated by teachers so that it provides supports or scaffolding for students learning. It should lessen the demand on the students who have difficulty learning. “and creates paths for students to demonstrate their understanding of the learning goals in a way that they could not do with traditional tools.” (Learning First, Technology Second 58). When planning lessons teachers should use backwards design to integrate technology more smoothly. Since the integration of technology focuses on the learning objectives, backwards planning would allow the teacher to plan the learning objectives and technology integration at the same time. “One starts with the end-the desired results (goals or standards)- and then derives the curriculum from the evidence of learning (performances) called for by the standard and the teaching needed to equip students to perform” (What is Backward Design 9). By starting with the end result, teachers can plan the goal and then create supports and scaffolding for students. Technology can be integrated after creating the objectives for the lesson and provide the best supports.
For technology in my classroom, I would use technology for both in and out of the classroom purposes. The technology would be integrated in most lessons and used on a daily basis. The technology would not only be used in lessons but throughout the day for attendance, classroom management, and recording student data. I would use ClassDojo to record student’s attendance, behavior throughout the day and send notices to parents. I would allow the students to click on their character on the Smart Board for attendance each morning. Also, the teacher can keep track of students’ behavior through ClassDojo which helps record data that can be reported to parents during conferences. I would use Google Classroom to post homework assignments so that students complete it if they forgot their work at school. It could also be used to record student data throughout the year by having students post their group work or some assignments in the classroom.
The technology I would integrate into my lessons would help provide scaffolds and supports for all students. I would use ActivInspire on the Smart Board for Math lessons to help with manipulating the problems. If I was teaching a lesson about Base 10 blocks, I would have students come to the board to model how they solved the problem so that the entire class could observe. ActivInspire could be used across multiple subjects since it allows for hands on completion of problems. This helps make lessons more engaging since it has the students actively learning since they are the one completing the manipulation. A lesson on bar graphs could have the students add their point to an option for any class polls. The students would be fully engaged in the learning objective of using base 10 blocks.
In my class, I would also use a document camera for modeling activities and expectations for students. If there was a graphic organizer or worksheet that needed to be completed, the teacher could model for the students how to complete that activity. Also, if there was a whole class activity such as a read aloud followed by comprehension or summarization questions the teacher could write student answers under the document camera. This would allow for all students to have the same answer and work together towards the learning objective. The teacher would be able to scaffold student learning by guiding the students through answering comprehension questions and come to a firmer understanding of the concepts.
The integration of technology into my classroom would help with both providing scaffolding for students and allowing for the entire school day flowing smoother. The use of ClassDojo for attendance would help teach students the support that technology provides. Also, students would get exposure of how to manipulate the Smart Board by using ClassDojo to start the year and slowing integrating more technology into the classroom. I would also integrate technology into my classroom that would help bring parents into the classroom both through ClassDojo and Google Classroom. This would allow parents to have awareness of what is occurring in their child’s classroom and potentially get involved with their child’s school experience. This would make extending learning beyond the classroom easier because the parents will have an easier time staying up to date on the learning objectives their child are focused on. By connecting the parents to the learning objectives in the classroom, it will benefit the classroom’s goal of becoming an active learning environment and lead to technology being integrated easily into lessons and helping obtain the learning goals.
Cullen's Classroom 