Integrating Technology in the Classroom Curriculum - Spring 2017
Using technology in the classroom is an essential 21st century teaching skill. It is my hope that educators, especially social studies teachers, find this website helpful for planning meaningful, fun, and creative lessons!
Vision Statement
I fully believe that modern and evolving technologies have the ability to create high quality educational opportunities for all students. For generations, the function of formal education has been to prepare children and young adults to be informed and productive members of society. Historically speaking, schools functioned as “factories” which produced desirable “cogs” for the workforce. As our society continues to evolve, this noble precedent of preparing the next generation for the “real world” remains remarkably consistent. My goal as a 21st century Social Studies teacher is to help prepare my students for a world which is becoming increasingly interconnected by exposing them to a variety of high quality learning opportunities using technology.
As we progress into the 21st century, technology is playing a larger role in classrooms across the country. Laptop carts, digital projectors, smart boards, tablets, Wi-Fi, and other pieces of technology are allowing for new and innovative ways of teaching and learning. While the future looks bright, 21st century educators are dealing with challenges and situations that our predecessors never could have imagined. New technology tools also mean new and different ways of accessing and processing information needed for teaching and learning. Both teachers and students must have the necessary skills and knowledge that will prepare them to meet these new challenges (Roblyer, 2016).
Meaningful technology tools for teaching are becoming available at an exponential rate. While the resources themselves may be available, the time to properly plan and implement their use often is not. Of the many challenges facing teachers today, I believe choosing the method in which to deliver content is one of the toughest and most important. 21st century learners must master more than the core curriculum to succeed in secondary and postsecondary institutions, as well as in the workplace (Blair, 2012). I am very lucky to have a classroom set of laptops at my disposal. A combination of traditional direct instruction as well as technology supported learning opportunities provides my students not only with essential content knowledge, but also an opportunity to practice skills which many future careers will require.
Over the years, educational research has led to many different theories and guidelines about how students learn best. I would argue the ideas of Skinner, Gagné, Dewey, and Gardner all have serious merit, especially given the diversity of strengths and weaknesses in most classrooms today. Students preparing for a geography quiz now have a paperless “drill and practice” study method using Sheppard Software’s geography games. Quizlet offers students an organized space to create digital flashcards and the ability to practice competitively using different memorization games. Skinner would be pleased to know that the Quizlet team has developed an app so students can easily study “on the go”. A simple class agenda using Google Slides or PowerPoint allows me to organize many of Gagné’s “Events of Instruction” to create optimal learning conditions for my students (Roblyer, 2016). John Dewey and Howard Gardner would love Google Classroom and the Google Apps for Education apparatus. Students have enjoyed the social benefits of partner and group activities for years, however a cooperative assignment using Google Docs or Google Slides allows students to collaborate at times which are convenient for them. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences meshes well with the trend toward using technology to support group work (Roblyer, 2016). Assigning students to complete different roles based on their strengths within a project often results in greater personal interest and a higher quality finished product.
I mentioned previously that I believe that technology has the ability to create high quality educational opportunities for all students and that it is my goal to help prepare my students for an increasingly interconnected world. I have the unique challenge of teaching English Language Learner (ELL) students, many of whom were not born, and are brand new to this country. Google Translate has been a blessing. The ability to have my students learn this free service is helping them make a difficult adjustment a little easier, not to mention content acquisition!
Having a firm grasp on content is still extremely important in today’s classroom. The art of teaching still revolves around “making things make sense” and there is no better feeling then when one of my students finally “gets it”. If nothing else, teaching is about relationships made with students. The world is not an easy place to understand, I am fortunate to have tools which allow my students to take more responsibility for their own learning and allow me to facilitate learning more and more on an individual basis.
References
Blair, N. (2012). Technology Integration for the 21st Century Learner. Principal, (January/February). Retrieved January 21, 2017, from http://www.naesp.org/principal-januaryfebruary-2012-technology/technology-integration-new-21st-century-learner
Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (7th Ed.). Pearson.
As we progress into the 21st century, technology is playing a larger role in classrooms across the country. Laptop carts, digital projectors, smart boards, tablets, Wi-Fi, and other pieces of technology are allowing for new and innovative ways of teaching and learning. While the future looks bright, 21st century educators are dealing with challenges and situations that our predecessors never could have imagined. New technology tools also mean new and different ways of accessing and processing information needed for teaching and learning. Both teachers and students must have the necessary skills and knowledge that will prepare them to meet these new challenges (Roblyer, 2016).
Meaningful technology tools for teaching are becoming available at an exponential rate. While the resources themselves may be available, the time to properly plan and implement their use often is not. Of the many challenges facing teachers today, I believe choosing the method in which to deliver content is one of the toughest and most important. 21st century learners must master more than the core curriculum to succeed in secondary and postsecondary institutions, as well as in the workplace (Blair, 2012). I am very lucky to have a classroom set of laptops at my disposal. A combination of traditional direct instruction as well as technology supported learning opportunities provides my students not only with essential content knowledge, but also an opportunity to practice skills which many future careers will require.
Over the years, educational research has led to many different theories and guidelines about how students learn best. I would argue the ideas of Skinner, Gagné, Dewey, and Gardner all have serious merit, especially given the diversity of strengths and weaknesses in most classrooms today. Students preparing for a geography quiz now have a paperless “drill and practice” study method using Sheppard Software’s geography games. Quizlet offers students an organized space to create digital flashcards and the ability to practice competitively using different memorization games. Skinner would be pleased to know that the Quizlet team has developed an app so students can easily study “on the go”. A simple class agenda using Google Slides or PowerPoint allows me to organize many of Gagné’s “Events of Instruction” to create optimal learning conditions for my students (Roblyer, 2016). John Dewey and Howard Gardner would love Google Classroom and the Google Apps for Education apparatus. Students have enjoyed the social benefits of partner and group activities for years, however a cooperative assignment using Google Docs or Google Slides allows students to collaborate at times which are convenient for them. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences meshes well with the trend toward using technology to support group work (Roblyer, 2016). Assigning students to complete different roles based on their strengths within a project often results in greater personal interest and a higher quality finished product.
I mentioned previously that I believe that technology has the ability to create high quality educational opportunities for all students and that it is my goal to help prepare my students for an increasingly interconnected world. I have the unique challenge of teaching English Language Learner (ELL) students, many of whom were not born, and are brand new to this country. Google Translate has been a blessing. The ability to have my students learn this free service is helping them make a difficult adjustment a little easier, not to mention content acquisition!
Having a firm grasp on content is still extremely important in today’s classroom. The art of teaching still revolves around “making things make sense” and there is no better feeling then when one of my students finally “gets it”. If nothing else, teaching is about relationships made with students. The world is not an easy place to understand, I am fortunate to have tools which allow my students to take more responsibility for their own learning and allow me to facilitate learning more and more on an individual basis.
References
Blair, N. (2012). Technology Integration for the 21st Century Learner. Principal, (January/February). Retrieved January 21, 2017, from http://www.naesp.org/principal-januaryfebruary-2012-technology/technology-integration-new-21st-century-learner
Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (7th Ed.). Pearson.