Integrating Technology & Creating Change

Integrating Technology & Creating Change By: Kayla Connelly

Chapter Overview Chapter 4 discusses technology integration and educational change to help teachers infuse technology into both classroom instruction and professional work.

Technology Integration & Educational Change Technology Integration: the ways that teachers build technology into all aspects of their professional work Educational Change: innovations by teachers that create new patterns of teaching and learning in schools

Remember… 1:Technology can either automate (reproduce existing practices) or infomate (change existing practices)-depending on how it is used by teachers. 2:Thinking creatively about using technology in teaching means constantly asking, “What can teachers and students do with technology that cannot be done without it?”

Technology and the Work of a Teacher

Electronic & Digital Tools 1:Technology-Based Library-using technology to create & maintain a collection of resources for teaching and learning 2:Technology-Based Textbook-using technology to create books & other teaching materials for students to use in class 3:Technology-Based Learning Environment-using technology to create anywhere, anytime opportunities for learning, both in & outside of school 4:Technology-Based Teaching Tool-using technology to generate new instructional opportunities for teachers & students 5:Technology-Based Office-using technology to organize & manage the professional work of teachers

What’s Your Opinion? As you think about using technology in your teaching, consider the following questions: 1: What are specific ways that you can integrate technology into your work as a teacher inside the classroom? 2: What are specific ways you can integrate technology into your work outside the classroom? 3: How do these uses of technology improve classroom instruction and student learning?

Technology Integration Stages & Issues • Integrating technology into teaching takes patience, perseverance, and willingness to involve students in learning about technology. • A technology-using educator can be defined as someone who… • Makes informed choices • Explores technology • Promotes change

Inclusion and Infusion Technology Technology use in schools tends to follow one of two broad patterns: inclusion or infusion. • Inclusion: means that computers and other information technologies are used mainly for traditional purposes of transferring information and practicing skills • Infusion: means that computers and other information technologies are ongoing features of teaching and learning in all academic subjects at all grade levels

Stages of Technology Integration 1:Entry-a teacher needs to gain specific skills in how to use computers and technologies before she or he is able to think about how to apply new knowledge to classroom situations 2:Adoption-a teacher knows enough to use technology in the classroom, but only at a basic level and occasionally 3:Adaption-a teacher is using technology regularly as part of teaching 4:Appropriation-a teacher is using technology as both inside-the-classroom and outside-the-classroom tool 5:Invention-a teacher is exploring new ways to creatively use technology in and out of the classroom as well as adding emerging technologies to a personal repertoire of professional skills and practices What Stage of technology integration are you?

Features of a technology-Integrated Classroom 1. Most students are independently choosing the technologies appropriate to their learning objectives. 2. Students are highly involved with their teacher and peers in planning for the use of technology in a unit or lesson. 3. In group activities using technology, a high degree of collaboration is exhibited. 4. When using technology, most students act ethically and in accordance with the district acceptable use policy. 5. Most students exhibit skill in the effective use of available technologies at or above grade and ability levels. 6. In using technology, most students are focused on the intended curricular objectives. 7. Most specific technology skills are embedded and learned in the context of core curriculum lesson objectives. 8. Problem solving and higher order thinking is evident in most students’ activities. 9. Most students are highly engaged in the use of technology. 10. Student use of technology is based on their cognitive abilities and physical needs. 11. Most technology uses represent learning activities that could not otherwise be easily done.

Technology Integration Issues Successful technology integration is affected by a number of issues that arise within the work of classroom teachers. • Administrative Support & Teaching Style • Unwillingness to Change Favorite Lesson Plans to include Technology • Reluctance to Use Technology When Teaching New Lesson Plans • Using Technology as a Reward or Punishment • Using Technology as an Add-On to Other Activities • Using Technology to Separate Students by Ability Groups

Tech Tool 4.1Lets try the smart board & explore these websites on our own!Page 92

The Digital Divide, Digital Inequality, and the Participation Gap • The digital divide continues to be persistent and complex technology integration issue. • Page 94 in our textbook shows internet access among different demographic groups Does any of this information surprise you?

A Digital Inequality Perspective Digital inequality-the idea that access to the latest computer technology varies greatly within society with low-income and non-white Americans less likely to be able to afford and use the newest tools Social informatics-social science approach where technology’s impacts on society are considered within the context of larger social, economic, and political realities Participation gap-students who lack 24/7 access to the latest technologies lag behind their peers technologically and educationally

Integrating Technology While Addressing the Participation Gap One-to-One Laptop Computing-every student in a grade, school, or district has her or his own computing device to use in school One/Two/Three Time Activities-instructional mode that uses technology as a central element of classroom learning Cooperative Learning and Groupwork-students work together in pairs, trios, or other configurations of small groups on projects and assignments Electronic Textbooks-interactive, dynamic way to integrate computer technology into the teaching of class material

Technology Integration & Educational Change • When you integrate technology into classroom instruction, student assignments, professional recordkeeping, or some other aspect of teaching, you will be creating educational change in your school. • To understand the connection between technology integration and educational change the next 5 slides are important for technology using educators!

Technology and the Culture of Schools

Automate or Infomate Automate-technological improvements that do not fundamentally change existing practices Infomate-coined by Alan November to indicate when technology is used to create new learning possibilities for students and teachers What type of classroom teacher will you be?

Type I and Type II Technology Applications Type I-activities that largely maintain existing practices Type II-activities that innovate or challenge existing practices

Computers as Mindtools Mindtools-learning technology that promotes problem solving and critical thinking by students and teachers, coined by David Jonassen Computer literacy-learning the names, functions, and procedures of computer hardware and software

Involving Students in Educational Change 1. Conduct individual interviews with students 2. Engage students in writing exercises 3. Administer needs analysis surveys and hold open forums 4. Engage and train students to be researchers 5. Form diverse student leadership teams 6. Conduct student-run focus groups 7. Administer course evaluations 8. Engage students as educational systems designers

Technology and Change in Your Future Classroom Automate or infomate? Type I or Type II technology application? Learning from computers or learning with computers? Each of these concepts invites teachers and students to critically examine how they might use technology to change educational practices.

Writing with Digital Pens and Digital Notebooks Digital Pen-a writing instrument that sends someone’s written text to a computer where it can be converted into printed text or emailed to others as a image file (page 103) Digital Notepad-writing device that allows users to write and draw on regular paper and convert those images to digital text Who has ever used these tools? Would you consider ever implementing them into your classroom?

Preparing Class Notes Electronically Tablet PC-a portable computer with real-time inking capacity that allows users to add and save writing directly to the screen Using Technology to create Change

Using the Technology You Have Successfully • Successfully using the technology available in the classroom is an ongoing challenge for teachers • There is no single best formula for what to do, mainly because technology is not evenly distributed among schools.

Types of Technology-Equipped Classrooms • Classrooms without computers are becoming less and less common • In many schools, a teacher will have a single computer at their desk and the students can access multiple computers in the schools library or computer lab • Newer or recently refurbished schools often feature multiple computers in the classroom (teacher and student) Four dimensions of technology-equipped classrooms Page 106

Strategies for Single and Multiple Computer Classrooms Information-single or multiple computers in a classroom perform as always-on-call librarians and always-available tutors for individuals, pairs, or small groups Interaction-students can access computer and online resources where they interact with the computers for learning Presentation-the computer becomes a large or small group presentation tool when connected to a digital projector or television set Rotation-the computer becomes one of three different learning experiences in the previously discussed instructional format called one/two/three time (stations)

Well that was chapter 4 in a nutshell! Are you ready to integrate technology and create change in your future classroom?

Integrating Technology & Creating Change