Technology Integration in the Content Area

What factors must the teacher consider when planning to integrate technology?

Many factors are the same as planning a lesson that does not integrate technology such as: For what ages or grade levels is this activity appropriate? What tasks are most effective in teaching the topic? What extensions might be useful in reinforcing or expanding knowledge gained through the activity?

However, there are additional factors that also need to be considered such as: What technology is best suited for meeting the learning purpose? How can technology be used to optimize learning? How many computers are available?

A teacher will be able to determine how practical using technology in a lesson will be by considering these types of factors. For example, if you want the whole class to participate as a group but only have three available computers you may need to reconsider your options.

Selecting and Integrating World Wide Resources

What are some strategies for keeping the documents of a website organized?

The key to organization is keeping accurate records of filenames of the HTML documents created. This will also make it easy to modify the website later on. When setting up the website be sure to to document the following information: page titles, source of each link and the reasons it was selected, source of graphics, size and type of graphics, and width of horizontal lines. In addition, make sure to keep filenames brief and logical so that they can easily be located. Another good tip is to always use lowercase filenames, this makes it easier for users to access the site. Implementing these strategies into web design will serve as a checklist when stting up a site and later will help modify the website when changes need to be made.

Reference: Bitter, G. & Legacy, J. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. Pearson: Boston.

Planning and Developing Technology-Rich Instruction

What is Data Driven Decision Making?

Data Driven Decisions are based on reviewing and understanding a wide collection of data. This data may be in the form of test scores, enrollment figures, demographics etc. Understanding this data helps educators find strengths and weaknesses in their school systems. In turn, they can narrow down what methods and practices work best for a particular group of students and in what areas instruction can be improved. An example of using data to guide instruction would be using the scores from a math pre-test at the beginning of the year. The teacher can then focus instruction on review of material that students tested poorly on. Research also indicates that schools that relay on data to inform their practices perform the highest. That is why it is imperative to use data to make appropriate instructional decisions.

Identify supportive research that emasures the effect of technology on science achievement

When technology is used effectively in the classroom it has a postive impact on science achievement. Students are engaged and learning when using tutorials and simulations. In comparison, drill and practice software have a negative effect on achievement. Simulations can be particularlly useful in the classroom. For example, biology teachers can use dissection simulations. When simulations are paired with hands on activities it is even more effective. Problem-based software also encourages students to focus on the central problem and also enables them to consider real world situations. Overall, students that receive traditional instruction in science which was supplemented with computer assisted instruction gained higher science achievement.

Reference: Bitter, G. & Legacy, J. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. Boston: Pearson.