1. Academies Show 2016
Effectively integrating technology in the classroom
Dr. Neelam Parmar
The integration of mobile technology in classrooms is no longer justa
nice-to-have option in learning and development. Indeed, it has now
become part of the educational process for the 21st
century generation,
wherethe choice of device is also no morethe focus of discussion.
Regardless of whether the schoolhas adopted one of the popular online
collaborative platforms, be it Google, Windows or Apple, whatis and will
always be of utmostimportance, is how the teachers are integrating the
technology in their teaching practices and whatlearning outcomes the
children produce.
The introduction of subject specific educational apps was initially and is
to an extent as yet, the most common use of EdTech in schools.
Educational apps have been found to appeal to the children and add
variety to teaching and learning. In the classrooms, teachers usethem
to enhance and enrich their lessons in specialist areas, such as in
practicing multiplication tables, learning phonics, conceptualizing Maths
equations, or encouraging writing and creativity. But we must also be
careful of their as educational apps could also be used as a playful
learning tool having little or no pedagogic instruction, resulting in
limiting impact on the user (Parmar 2014). A recentreport suggested
that ‘we have not yet become good enough at the kind of pedagogoues
that make most of the technology; that adding 21st
century technologies
to 20th
century teaching practices will justdilute the effectiveness of
teaching” (OECD 2015).
While the technology is slowly but surely becoming part of the
educational process, it is still separate and not integrated into the
student learning experience. Due to this, many schools find themselves
in a situation wherethe technology is used as an add-on effect with
insufficient or seamless integration into curriculum. There are concerns
that schools have not yet become good enough at the kind of
technological pedagogies required to make the best use of it in the
classrooms and therefore, the technology is used as substitution with no
functional change in teaching and learning, rather than as redefinition,
wherethe technology can be used to enhance new tasks which were
previously inconceivable(SAMR Model). Itis worth nothing that

2. although the SAMR Model by Dr. Reuben Puentedura suggests
technology is best integrated and most effective when used in the last
stage of redefinition, it is justas valuable for a teacher to progress
through the various levels along the continuum of Substitution,
Augmentation and Modification. Hence, as the teacher becomes more
confident and intuitive using the technology, it is better woven into good
teaching and learning practices.
Although, the SAMR model allows for the theoretical understanding and
pragmatic useof integrating technology into education, there are
interpretations which show that in order to build deep, conceptual
understanding and higher-order thinking with the children, technology
based lessons still require intensive teacher-student interactions. In fact,
there is evidence to illustrate that teachers can become so heavily
dependent on using technology to pass on instruction that they
emphasizestudent-learning technology over more effectively placed
sessions of mutual collaboration and conversation (Education Week
2015). John Hattie’s work on Visible Learning (2009) illustrates that
successfulclassroomsdisplay greatpassion where there is a variety and
depth of skill and knowledgeby both the teacher and learner. Teachers
need to be awarewhen learning is corrector incorrect; when to
encourageindependent learning; when to seek and give feedback and
when to be awareof how to try alternative strategies to producethe
most effective outcomes for the student (Hattie 2009). Similarly with the
use of technology in teaching, it is important to remember that the killer
app is still the teacher and all the pedagogic interactions that take place
between the two (Parmar 2014).
Therefore, in order to create great teaching wherethe use of technology
can amplify learning and development, an appropriateEdTech
pedagogic workflow,thatincorporates traditional elements of teaching
practices and the useof current mobile technology becomes necessary.
This pedagogic workflow is the disappearanceof walls and enclosed
structureof the classroom, in which both the teacher and student can
communicate seamlessly through various digital channels and in which
they become co-learners. Itis about the use of a blended learning
approach wherethe technology becomes transparent and in which the
student and teacher can flip between pen and paper to online tools for
capturing digital data and to shareinformation among themselves and
peers. Itincludes a seamless and effective feedback and assessment

3. journey, which can take place in real time with the intent of creating
more successfulachievementoutcomes. Itis the curation of all materials
in one location, highlighting areas of metacognition and differentiation,
sewing together various teaching resources of videos, images,
worksheets, quizzes and content, linking them to external applications
such as YouTube, e-books, and subjectspecific apps that areboth
transferableand available to the students anywhere, at anytime and in
any place. To be clear, it is the facilitation and instruction of learning
processes fromteacher to studentwithin a collaborativeand mutually
beneficial manner, and in which the student becomes their own teacher,
rather than the more directive methods of teaching practices.
This shiftof mindset in understanding ‘teaching’ vs. ‘instruction or
facilitation’ is the beginnings of creating an appropriateEdTech
pedagogical workflow. The term teaching can be quite misleading and
often takes a top-down approach, as seen in mostschools still today.
When teachers come to understand that through technology, they are
offering instructionalprocesses (facilitation), a digital workflow can be
better understood and created. Whether this is conducted via an
iTunes U coursein collating posts and assignments together, or the
Office365 environment using the various Microsoftproducts to submit
and/or exchange discussions of homework,or even the Google
Classroomwherestudent’s access shared documents and teachers
providefeedback via the Google apps, it makes make no difference. The
key message is that it should enable both the teacher and students to
access learning and collaboration at a developmental pace, to share
instruction and to provide collaborative learning experiences between
themselves and peers.
Today, technology has the potential to amplify great teaching and is
there to help teachers to do their job moreefficiently and effectively,
and not to replace them. Itis vital to recognise that teachers are still the
catalyst who should facilitate these instructional processes in an
educational technology environment. If schools havedecided to adopt
mobile technology as a strategy within their educational culture, then
integrating it effectively into the curriculum should become a priority.
This understandably does notcome easy and requires teachers to think
creatively, laterally and to the extent, as digital natives (the generation
of people born during or after the riseof digital technologies), so that
they can use the technology as a tool to promote and extend their
students’ ability to learn on a daily basis.

4. For many teachers, a lack of personal experience using technology
within a learning environment presents a challenge. Acquiring an
immersivetechnology rich experience is necessary in expanding the
teachers’ knowledgeof new instructionalpractices that will allow them
to select and usethe right technology, in the right way, with the right
students and for the right purpose. While this may seem like an
ambitious proposal, when used properly, technology can be an efficient
and highly liberating tool for teachers which can contribute to a
conducivelearning environment for students. To deliver on the promises
that the technology can deliver, it is imperative that schools will need to
invest moreeffectively in their teachers and to recognizethat through
their professionaldevelopment, they can be at the forefrontof
designing and implementing effective integration of technology within
the schoolclassrooms.