2. “This 'telephone' has too many
shortcomings to be seriously
considered as a means of
communication. The device is
inherently of no value to us.”
-- Western Union internal memo, 1876
Innovation – Change
3. Opportunity
“We must open the doors of
opportunity. But we must also
equip our people to walk
through those doors.”
-- Lyndon B. Johnson
4. Technology is the environment
of our children.
Technology is in their homes and
around their neighborhoods.
Technology is transparent to
children.
Why Integrate Technology?
5. 21st Century Skills
Personal and social responsibility
Planning, critical thinking,
reasoning, and creativity
Strong communication skills
Cross-cultural understanding
Visualizing and decision-making
Knowing how and when to use
technology
6. Student – Teacher Roles
Student as learner
Student as teacher
Teacher as learner
Teacher as mentor and guide
9. Technology Integration Is ...
Access to primary source material
Methods of collecting and
recording data
Storage of images, sound, and text
Training for publishing and
presenting
11. What do you think of when you hear the words
“technology integration”?
Read Broadband, Big Screen! Getting English
Learners Up to Speed in Southeast Los
Angeles
Watch A Remarkable Transformation
Read A 'Fantastic Super' Use of Technology
How was technology integrated?
What steps can you take to integrate
technology into your teaching environment?
Activities
12. What hardware and software
applications are available to you and
your students?
What opportunities can you give your
students to use technology in the
curriculum?
What challenges do your foresee for
your situation?
Activities
Editor's Notes
Technology is revolutionizing the way we think, work, and play. Technology, when integrated into the curriculum, revolutionizes the learning process.
The acceptance of change is a major requirement for technology integration. New technologies are always emerging. It demands that we continually keep up with these improvements. However, change is not always easy. The initial human reaction to change is resistance. Resistance makes for slow change, but change is inevitable.
For economically disadvantaged students, school may be the only place where they will have the opportunity to use a computer and integrate technology into their learning.
Technology is a part of children’s lives. It is transparent. Many homes have computers and Internet connections. As the price of technology drops, computers and other digital devices may replace television as we know it. The technologies of today bring the tools of empowerment into the hands and minds of those who use them. In many classrooms, technology is still thought of as an ‘extracurricular’ activity. In these settings, time spent at the computer is during ‘free’ time. All too often, the technology in the classroom is not even turned on. When effectively integrated into the curriculum, technology revolutionizes the learning process. More and more studies show that technology integration in the curriculum improves students’ learning processes and outcomes. Teachers who recognize computers as problem-solving tools change the way they teach. They move from a behavioral approach to a more constructivist approach. Project-based learning takes place utilizing interactive multimedia and telecommunications technologies. Students are engaged in their learning using these powerful tools.
Another reason for technology integration is the necessity for today’s students to learn 21st Century Skills. These 21st Century Skills include: Personal and social responsibility Planning, critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity Strong communication skills, both for interpersonal and presentation needs Cross-cultural understanding Visualizing and decision-making Knowing how and when to use technology and choosing the most appropriate tool for the task Many of the jobs our students will hold when they leave school do not exist today. Students need to learn the skills that will prepare them for the ‘possible’ work they will encounter.
Technology helps change the student/teacher roles and relationships. Often it is the student who is familiar with the technology. It is the student who must teach the teacher. The teacher becomes the mentor and the guide. Technology integration promotes project-based learning styles. It engages students in their learning processes. Students acquire and use higher-order thinking, analysis, and problem-solving. They take responsibility for their learning outcomes. Teachers become guides and facilitators. Technology lends itself as the multidimensional tool that assists the process.
Technology integration leads to project-based learning. With project-based learning, students work individually and in groups. They are constructors of knowledge. Children become collaborators building understanding.
Technology integration is the use of technology resources -- computers, digital cameras, CD-ROMs, software applications, the Internet, etc. – in the daily practices of a classroom and in the management of a school. It is the transparent use of these tools that demonstrates integration. It is when the use of technology is routine. Technology integration is when a child or a teacher doesn’t stop to think that he or she is using a computer or researching via the Internet.
When effectively integrated into the curriculum, technology tools can extend learning in powerful ways. These tools, the Internet, and multimedia applications can provide students and teachers with: Access to up-to-date, primary source material Methods of collecting and recording data Ways to collaborate with students, teachers, and experts around the world Opportunities for expressing understanding via images, sound, and text Learning that is relevant and assessment that is authentic Training for publishing and presenting their new knowledge
Technology integration begins when teachers and students use technology because it is the right tool to use. It is students using the Internet to do research. It is students creating Web sites to teach others about what they are learning in class. It is students creating multimedia presentations and presenting them to their classmates, parents, and community. Technology integration begins when a teacher has his/her students illustrate a Kindergarten alphabet book using a paint program. The students publish their work. They print out their pages and create a class book that is sent home for parents to view. Technology integration is students making slideshows using their alphabet drawings. It is the students recording their voices and saying the letters of the alphabet and the names of objects they drew.
This reading & viewing activity can be assigned for homework prior to the class. Have your participants divide into small groups. Have them discuss the projects mentioned in the articles. Have participants view the film segments with particular questions in mind. What examples of technology integration are in the video? What is the role of the teacher? What is the engagement of the students? Is the technology appropriate for the project? After reflection or small group discussion, have the large group discuss their discoveries.
Have the participants divide into small groups. Have the groups compare the hardware and software available to them in their classrooms or their school settings discuss possible ways of increasing the technology available to them brainstorm how the technology available can be used in their classroom settings brainstorm ways technology can be used in their situations discuss when and where technology can be woven into projects It is important that time is given to discuss any impediments to technology integration that the participants may have at their school settings, whether perceived or real. Have the teams focus on the last question regarding challenges to technology integration. How can obstacles be removed? How can a negative situation be turned into a positive one? Have the teams report to the class.
