Article: A Look at Recent Findings on Technology in the Classroom

I have always felt that public education is the most important service our country offers.
The article, A Look at Recent Findings on Technology in the Classroom, begins by discussing the importance and accessibility of a good education for all learners. However the article states, "while we have such reverence for education, schools struggle. Test scores drop, teachers are laid off, programs are cut, and the quality of education varies greatly from school to school". The article asks: "what could be done to improve education in the areas where low performance is occurring?" One answer is the use of technology to improve a student's learning experience.

It is hard to individualize instruction because of class sizes and different levels of student proficiency, but technology can help a teacher do just that. Technological tools are a great way to improve learning, and help track growth, for each student. Technology is good in the classroom because it moves at an individual student's unique education level. The article also discusses that, "technology has proven to accelerate struggling students close the learning gap between those at the back of the class and the A-students". This is a very interesting finding, and not only does using technology improve student learning, it also helps prepare them for the current technological world.

Final Project

Two Perspectives of the American Revolution

            Through out this semester we have been learning ways to integrate technology in our lesson planning. However, one of the most important things that we have learned is that technology should not replace education and teaching styles, but supplement and enhance it. Over the course of the semester we have absorbed information from this course in relation to the other course we have taken, especially in our Curriculum and Teaching classes. For this assignment, I have chosen a lesson plan I worked on from CURR 310- Inclusion. With the goal of integrating technology into this existing lesson plan, I have used resources from other courses including our class, and readings from Domine’s book. The goal of my lesson plan is to increase student understanding of different perspectives, specifically during the American Revolution. The students will also be acquired to create an authentic diary entry, from either perspective of a British or Continental soldier. Meant for 8^th graders, this not only focuses on my concentration Social Studies but Language Arts elements as well.

            The first thing the students will do is reading, in pairs, two diary entries from the American Revolution. One entry is from the perspective of a Continental soldier, and the other is from a British soldier’s experience. The Social Studies standard I felt which is aligned with this task of examining these two experiences and determine the impact the Revolution had on them. Students will use methods mostly including student-centered work. Some of these strategies include reading aloud and small-group work. I felt I could also allow students to use Internet access and a computer to supplement their task. A good NETS strategy I aligned with this task focuses on communication and collaboration with students. By working together, in pairs, these students will reflect the standards I believed would enhance this first objective. For homework, students will have to do Internet research of the different experiences of both the British and Continental army troops during the Revolution.  This homework assignment asks students to “employ data-collection technology” to gather and evaluate information found on the Internet. The students must then bring their findings to the class, where their findings will be discussed as a group (which is both student and teacher centered).

The Social Studies standard that I feel replicates this assignment, the most, is using these findings to compare and contrast different interpretation of historical events.  Group discussion is both student and teacher centered and students will work together to brainstorm and create a Venn diagram. The teacher will begin the lesson by modeling an example for the class for the graphic organizer. Students will be able to gather information and create a visual presentation with teacher involvement. The technologies the students will utilize include their Internet research, graphic organizers and computer access. The NETS standards I felt could be the most relevant for this task include using technology productively, for their homework assignment, and proper communication.

            For the next assignment part of this lesson, students will be required to research particular events that occurred during the American Revolution. Students will be advised that they will incorporate this information for their final assessment, and that they must chose a perspective to work with. I felt the standards that represent this part of the assignment are both NETS standards. Students will have to use technology effectively and productively; this is crucial for student success. The strategies students will utilize are individual work, which will be assessed, and information and research gathering. The technologies students will need to use are both Internet research and a computer.

            The final assessment, and end product, incorporates cross-curricular standards related to, not only Social Studies skills, but writing skills, NETS standards, and technology. The Language Arts standard I referenced for this part requires students to use a computer and word processing software, like Microsoft Word, to compose a creative piece. This standard is perfect for the end product of a creative writing, journal entry, as if the student was in the American Revolution for either perspective of the American or British military member.  Through their Internet research, students must incorporate at least three verifiable facts they have found, and reference a particular event during the Revolution. The NETS standards I felt went along well with this task, wants students to use creativity and innovation in this final assessment, and to demonstrate creativity.  This final row focuses on student-centered strategies like individual and creative writing, as well as student participation. The only technologies I felt were needed is Internet research, a computer and printer.  

Hopefully, the students will meet the goals and learning topics of this lesson, through the use of technological resources and prior knowledge/abilities.

Are there benefits to technology and education?

The article I read, Debate continues over benefits of technology-oriented education, presents an interesting take on education and evolving technology. This article begins with discussing how children are discouraged from watching too much television, yet they get a lot of "screen time" with new technologies. Professor Fox notes in the article that, "Technology has become an integral part of the current culture, and the question is no longer whether children should or should not be exposed to technology, but how technology can be used most effectively as an educational tool". I felt like this was a very valid point, because technology is extremely important in today's world and I agree that technology should be utilized as a classroom tool. She refers to the generation of children as the Web.20 generation, which webopedia defines as, "the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to collaborate and share information online". The article also notes that adults should be come technology oriented as well, and parents should stress social interaction.

Too much "screen time" can impact a child in a negative way and parents should supervise this time. Television is cited as the most influential in transferring knowledge and children are most easily drawn to it. A report in the article noted, "that 25 percent of children between the ages of zero and five use the Internet at least once a week". This is a startling number for children at such a young age and the article suggests technology should supplement learning, not replace it. It is also important for parents to read to their children because this is linked to increased literacy and contact.It is also shown that technology has impacted writing skills, as most technological software corrects mistakes for you (I also feel that this has impacted me as well, I constantly use spell check on word documents) and social media terms are carried into school work. ]

Despite these concerns, technology and educational applications can be very helpful for younger students. Using technology can help children become more engaged in their education, and it is a good way to archive previous work. When used properly, technology can benefit everyone in the classroom, including teachers.

The Digital Divide in the Classroom

            Today in READ 411, we discussed the “digital divide” in classrooms. According to dictionary.com, digital divide is defined as, “the socioeconomic and other disparities between those people who have opportunities and skills enabling them to benefit from digital resources, especially the Internet, and those who do not have these opportunities or skills: programs that help to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor countries.” The digital divide seems to be a barrier for student success, but it is not the student’s fault that this is occurring in schools.

            For this blog I found an article about bridging the digital divide in America's rural schools. The article starts of by introducing as Yoder, Colorado, a rural area where 25-30%  of a teacher’s students do not have Internet access at home. In the school the article mentions, “three-quarters of the 120 K-12 students are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch”. The school tries to provide technology for the attending students and wants to  “infuse” technology in the curriculum as much as it can. The school is even requiring seniors in high school to take a mandatory computer-science class. They want to provide students with the technology schools they will use in college and in their everyday lives. According to the article, “when it comes to technology inside traditional classrooms, the small sizes — and budgets — of rural schools present unique hurdles.”

 However, schools across the country are trying to bridge this gap by developing statewide, and trying to secure funding for technologies. Many students across the country are unable to keep up with Internet usage, and the schools might be the only way these individuals can access technology. According to a 2010 study, “57 percent of rural households had broadband Internet access, compared to 72 percent in urban areas”. Teachers must be flexible with students, because not everyone has the same availability to technology. It is important to teach these students computer skills since they may encounter it in their future.  As teachers, we must be able to keep on top of technologies because it is constantly changing.

Reliable Sources on the Internet

How often have we heard a teacher or Professor say, "Wikipedia cannot be used as a source for any of your school work"? It's hard to keep count! 

The Internet has made it very easy for students to find information, and it can effortlessly replace searching the library for primary and secondary sources. How can a student know what a teacher considers reliable or untrustworthy? In CURR 314, we learn about the proper ways to assess students and how to clearly convey what the end product should be like. It is also important to provide directions explaining what is expected. In this context, I feel like a teacher should always clarify what kind of sources can be utilized in his or her classroom. Maybe, even providing a list of the types of sources they approve of.

I think a good website teachers, specifically Social Studies teachers, could recommend is JSTOR, which is an accredited source of journal articles. Often times, the school district libraries have memberships to online archives like this. (It is important to check out what is available to students in the school you might be working in.) The articles found on this website can be filtered to show scholarly reviewed articles, this is great for credibility. Not only should the teacher suggest sources, she should explain what is unacceptable and why. I think it is a good idea for teachers to model what they are looking for to the students. “Modeling”, which we have learned about in other CURR classes, is a great way to clarify assignments to students. Students should know what is ok and not okay with information the cite from online sources.

Interactivity #5: NETS/ISTE Interview

Revised spreadsheet with NETS standards

For this activity I interviewed an 11^th grade Social Studies teacher, named “Mrs. A”, within the Paramus school district. Paramus can be considered an affluent area, with many families living in the middle/upper-middle class. The district is also well known for public education, a few being National Blue Ribbon schools. The Social Studies program, in the school of the teacher I interviewed, there is an emphasis on technology in the classroom. 

Before our interview, I asked her what she knew about NETS and their implementation in the Paramus School district. In addition to core curricular standards, these standards are referred to as National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). After telling her about our assignment I asked her about integrating technology and the standards. She told me she has heard of them, but did not have much experience with them. I provided her with the standards and asked her about the feelings she had about them. I printed out NETS/ISTE for Students 2007 and showed her the Appendix in Domine's book, which provides some standards and a good way to reference them during the interview. 

The teacher, Mrs. A, was not familiar with the exact standards listed in the NETS documents I provided her with. She did not know about NETS being applied for students in her district, and was not sure if her colleagues have been implementing them in their lessons. Mrs. A stated, “In our district there is a push for integrating technology into the curriculum, but it is not a requirement”. She also went on to note how there is an emphasis on the continuous evolvement of technology and education in modern times. To her understanding, Mrs. A feels NETS is being adopted in her school district, indirectly, because to her knowledge she is not sure which of her coworkers are aware of them. She thinks it is a good idea to have professional development so more teachers can be aware of these standards, and learn how to implement them correctly. However, she does not feel that funding for technology in the district is objectionable; there are already high-tech computer labs, some Smart Boards, and other technological devices. Mrs. A says that these standards could be applied easily.

When looking at the NETS and ISTE, I asked her how she felt about them being adopted in her district. She told me she thought they were great and she would reference them in the future. I was not surprised about her experience with NETS or the fact that she believed they were being implied indirectly. A lot of the NETS/ISTE standards seem like they could be “common sense” in a modern day classroom. As a future teacher, I think I will keep these documents to cite as a teacher, I might share them with my coworkers as something we can work on implementing together. I feel like these standards are a good idea and that teachers should always stay ahead with the current advancement of technology.

Geocaching

In Social Studies classrooms, there is some focus on using coordinates and understanding maps. I have recently learned about an online activity called geocaching, which focuses on locating objects using Global Positioning Systems. Using a starting location, you can find hidden containers in your area and you will have to use coordinates to locate these objects. This activity could be a good thing to recommend to students, but the teacher has to keep in mind that their students may not have to means to go out and locate these things. However, it can be a good way for a student to practice their skills and have fun. This video is quite short and explains the activity clearly.

 

 

The website Geocaching.com provides information on how to participate and provides a guide. If you use this particular website you have to be a member, but there are free websites you can use as well. An example of a rule is that if you take the Geocache item you must replace it with something of equal or greater value. You must leave the Geocache where you found it for other people participating.  Also, you can sign a log book at the site and you can log your experience on the online website. The Geocache can be located anywhere in the world, and even underwater! It's like a modern day treasure hunt, I would love to try it one day and I'm sure students could enjoy this activity too.