This document reflects on the author's experience with educational technology integration in different school districts. It describes the technology available, such as interactive whiteboards, student response systems, and document cameras. However, many teachers did not know how to use the technology due to lack of training and support. Moving forward, teachers should be provided meaningful professional development to allow seamless technology integration in instruction on a daily basis.

1. * Donna Stone
* Grand Canyon University
* Professor Mary Urich
* EDA 573TE
* October 24, 2013
*

2. * My current position has taken me out of my home district
and placed me in many different districts throughout the
State. I have seen a wide variety of technology tools,
level of use, and level of instructional purpose in the
many districts and schools that I visit. For this
assignment I am reflecting on what technology was
available to me as a teacher and the issues our district
faced as a whole in the implementation of educational
technology into classroom instruction.
* I came from a district that had a technology director with
a strong technology infrastructure background. Our
technology director has built our district into a leader of
technology capacity in our State. He does not have a
education –professional development background so the
disconnect between technology availability and use is
great. I will explain this divide in this presentation.
*

3. *
An interactive
whiteboard (IWB), is a
large interactive monitor
that connects to a
computer. A projector
projects the computer's
desktop onto the board's
surface. Depending on
the type of board
students and teachers
can interact with the
computer‟s image using
their finger or a pen.
They are made of study
material and can be
cleaned with Pledge
wipes or wipees. Using
an interactive
whiteboard or a project
can be very engaging and
it can bring the world
into your classroom.

4. *
There are many websites
where teachers freely share
interactive whiteboard lessons
for every grade level and
subject. Just one example is:
Promethean Planet
(www.prometheanplanet.com)
has over one million teachers
registered on the site which
promotes sharing. Using
technology in the classroom
does not need to be a
reinvention of the teaching
wheel. Simple Google searches
can open the door to many
possibilities.

5. *
Technology allows students to
create and share presentations in a
variety of ways. Creating work to
be shared with their peers gives
students the incentive to go from
good to great.
Students are not afraid of
technology. They are not afraid to
try and fail. They jump right into
playing with the technology and
with little encouragement begin to
create their own lessons, games,
and centers.

6. *
Web Cams allow students to connect to the
outside world. In the top two photos
students are being read a book from a
teacher and her students from Arizona. We
used Google Maps to see just how far that is
from Rhode Island. In the photo on the
bottom a parent reads a book to the class
from work. Working parents often cannot
come to class to read to the students but
they can borrow a plug and play web cam
for the day and „visit‟ with the class during
lunch or work break.

7. *
Students in my classroom and the local
university turned images of themselves into
“Flat Students” for a project related to the Flat
Stanley book series. My students exchanged
their Flat-selves with their college friends.
They took their new Flat-friends with them for a
week and kept a written journal and a digital
journal of their activities and used that to write
their own “Flat” stories.

8. *
Usually free and very
often very easy to use Web
2.0 tools are new ways of
creating, collaborating,
editing and sharing usergenerated content online.
All teachers need is a
computer with internet
access and the search for
engaging Web 2.o tools
can begin. To the left is a
collage of magazine covers
that my students made
when learning about
synonyms.

9. *
Wikis are a simple way to
introduce creating webpages to
students. They are free and easy
ways to upload their own work,
and images. Student pages can be
password protected and can be an
easy way to showcase student
work.
Class webpages are a great communication
tool to help build a strong bond between
school and home. Teachers can share
academic websites, homework, and school
notifications as well as give parents quick
glimpse into the classroom with pictures and
videos.

10. I have used a couple of different websites for free, safe
student email accounts. Most of the student email services
allow students to send and receive email to and from an
approved list. My students could email their classmates and
their families. We spent a lot of time on digital citizenship
lessons around email use. Parents were aware of the email
addresses and the fact that through the service I had copies of
all emails sent and received. Students loved practicing letter
writing when it came in the form of sending emails to each
other.
*

11. Click on image to
view the video.
*
Creating web based
student work is easy to
do with free programs
like Movie Maker and
Photo Story. In this
project students
created their own
version of the Important
Book, first in draft –
handwritten form, then
in text form on the
computer.
I compiled their work
into one photo-story
and then uploaded it to
SchoolTube.com.
SchoolTube then stores
the video and gives a
web-link so parents,
students and families
can view the videos.

12. We had a Flip Cam in our
classroom that got a lot of use.
Flip Cams are small video cameras
that convert video easily into a
computer file by just plugging the
camera into the computer.
Students used the camera during
center time to document
estimations, book talks, and their
vocabulary work. I used it to
record the great things students
were experiencing and learning.
*

13. *
Student Response Systems consist of
individual remotes that students use to
respond to questions. These small
handheld „clickers‟ collect the student
response data. The students can answer
questions immediately or self-paced. In
conjunction with Interactive Whiteboard
technology the student data can at will be
displayed on the board in graphs and
number form. It is a great strategy for
formative assessment. My students loved
using the clickers. If I had it set up to
show their response as a graph after each
question they would clap. I could easily
give a 30 question assessment without one
word of complaint for the children and
because of the software it would correct
the student work for me and save the
results like a grade book. It is amazingly
engaging and a great data source when
collecting evidence for such things as RTI.
*

14. Document Cameras are the
overhead projector of the 21st
Century. They are cameras,
video cameras, and image
projectors all in one. You can
use them to:
Project picture books
Show student projects
Use math manipulatives so the
whole class can see
Artifact display: rocks,
arrowheads, birds‟ nest etc.
Model student work
Take video or snap shots of
demonstrations displayed
under the camera and play
back on the Interactive
Whiteboard
and so much more!
*

15. Click
Here
*

16. 21st Century Teaching asks:
Teachers to teach in ways they were never
taught using tools that were not invented
when they were in school.
Teachers to use technology to be
innovative, content driven, and process
oriented to ultimately improve student
achievement.
*

17. * Teachers say that although they may have
access to computers and the Internet, they
don't feel adequately prepared to use the
technology to enhance their lessons. In
addition to a lack of training and technical
support, teachers in urban schools cite
insufficient and outdated equipment and
software (NEA, 2008).
*

18. * Help teachers discover how using computer
technology to captivate, motivate and
ultimately move students toward greater
learning.
* Help teachers understand the resources needed
to effectively integrate.
The digital push here aims to go far
beyond gadgets to transform the very
nature of the classroom, turning the
teacher into a guide instead of a
lecturer, wandering among students
who learn at their own pace on
Internet-connected devices (Richtel,
2011).
*

19. Current Educational
Technology Use
The GAP
In my former districts
teachers have all of the
educational technologies
included in this
presentation along with
the new addition of iPads
for teachers, but many
tools go unused.
Teachers have not
received enough
professional
development to
successfully utilize the
tools in an ongoing basis.
They can use technology
for special projects but
not seamlessly include in
into everyday
instruction.
Technology touches
almost every part of
our lives, our
communities, our
homes. Yet many
schools lag far behind
when it comes to
integrating
technology into
classroom learning.
Teachers should be providing meaningful, technology-rich
learning experiences for their students.
Teachers should be able to seamlessly and continuously
use of educational technologies to enhance the
curriculum.
Teachers should be able to locate, create, and share and
facilitate educational technology based resources as they
Without reexamining
do all other instructional resources.
how technology based
professional
development is
offered in school
districts there is little
chance that current
School Districts and
practices will result in
Teachers still have not
answered the question as an increase of
successfully
to why they should
include technology into technology
their instruction so there integration into the
is no real effort to
curriculum.
answer how they will
include technology into
their instruction.
Future Educational Technology Use
*

20. * Target: Teachers should be providing
meaningful, technology-rich learning
experiences for their students.
* Strength: There are many educational technology
tools available to teachers in the district.
* Weakness: Many teachers do not know what tools
are available for them to use.
* Plan: Create a database of available tools(cameras,
student response systems etc.) and share this
resource list, along with links to possible tutorials
and lesson ideas, with all teachers.
Teachers and students should
use technology when it is the
appropriate tool to solve the
essential question of the
lesson. In todays world that
would mean students would
use technology most of the
time (Adamson, 2010).
*

21. * Target: Teachers should be able to seamlessly and
continuously use of educational technologies to
enhance the curriculum.
* Strength: With the implementation of CCSS districts are rewriting
*
*
their curriculum units and have an opportunity to build in
educational technology enhancements to the curriculum.
Weakness: There is no current professional development that
addresses the why we should use technology questions so teachers
may not see then need to add technology to the curriculum.
Plan: Begin to create learning opportunities that are adult learning
focused, are sustained throughout the school year and require an
accountability piece where teachers need to demonstrate how they
have used the technology in their instruction.
*

22. *
Target: Teachers
should be able to locate, create, and share
and facilitate educational technology based resources as they
do all other instructional resources.
* Strength: There is a limitless amount of educational technology
*
*
resources available to teachers.
Weakness: Very little professional development time is unscripted
enough to allow teachers just to search and collect materials. Many
teachers are unaware of ways that they can electronically share
lesson plans etc.
Plan: Create professional development time that allows teachers the
opportunity to search for resources. The PD should be facilitated by
a tech savvy teacher not a tech person so he/she can guide teachers
to all that is available to them. School districts should also help
teachers find a common place to store and share resources with each
other.
*

23. * According to John Gardner, in On Leadership, "Leadership is
the process of persuasion or example by which an individual
(or leadership team) induces a group to pursue objectives
held by the leader or shared by the leader and his or her
followers."
* 21st century school leaders must advocate and work hard
to reconstruct professional development time and the
school day so that our teachers can collaborate on
curriculum development that includes technology
integration.
*
* 21st century school leaders we need work to design and
implement sustained long-term professional development
programs that address the needs of our schools
*

24. *
*
Collaborative leadership is really defined by a process, rather than by
what leaders do. It has much in common with both servant
leadership and transformational leadership.
Collaborative leadership is almost always characterized by some
specific traits. Among the most important:
Collaborative problem-solving and decision-making. It's not the leader's
job to decide what to do and then tell the group. Rather, the group
considers the problem, decides what to do, and counts on the leader to
help them focus their effort.
Open process. The leader - or some other interested party, like Putnam's
mayor - doesn't just start with his goals in mind and steer the group in
that direction. Collaborative leadership means that the process of
decision-making is truly collaborative, and has no set end-point when it
begins. The end result is worked out among all the participants: that's
collaboration.
Leadership of the process, rather than the group. The purpose of
collaborative leadership is to help the collaborative process work, rather
than to lead the people involved toward something - to a particular
decision, for instance, or in a particular direction.
*