Section I:
Technology Integration and the Effects on Student Learning
A. Research
Being able to understand and apply educational technology research is an important part of being a technology facilitator. Throughout your program, you read a variety of research articles and have access to many sources of research. As educational technology is constantly changing, you should complete the program with the ability and desire to find new research about current and emerging technologies in the schools and apply that to your own teaching and help other teachers apply it to their teaching. This will help you keep up to date with best practices and use technology most effectively to improve student learning.
ISTE TF-II.B, TF-III.A. TF-III.E, TF-IV.C
ISTE TF-II.B, TF-III.A. TF-III.E, TF-IV.C
Artifact: Kindle Case Study: Prezi
During my course work at Loyola we read countless articles, case studies, and books regarding technology in education. However, much of the material we read was research conducted on a small-scale basis. Due to the nature of technology and its constant evolution, there appears to be limited amounts of large-scale research drawing firm conclusions about the effect technology has on student learning. This may be from a variety of reasons but mostly comes from the inconsistency in utilizing the technology to its full potential, and its rate of change; once a technology is learned a newer version is released. In ED608 we were given the assignment to research a real world example of an innovative technology and my group was interested in the potential of eReaders in a one-to-one program. The school we elected to study was a high school in Clearwater, Florida whom recently invested in Kindles for every student. We conducted research on this school as well as research on one-to-one programs. For this project I voluntarily created a curated webpage using Scoop-It which shows some of the research and articles we used in our case study. I continue to be interested in the research behind 1:1 programs since this is something I hope to adopt one day as an educational technology leader in my school. As a follow-up to this assignment I discovered a research initiative called “Project RED” which is linked with the One-to-One Institute who supports one-to-one laptop initiatives in K-12 schools. They recently released a study about successful implementation models of education technology in October 2010. That study found that most of the schools that have integrated laptops and other digital tools into learning are not maximizing the use of those devices in ways that best make use of their potential. The report goes on to outline the critical steps needed to capitalize on that potential (Project RED, 2010). These findings are encouraging to someone interested in adopting a one-to-one program but it also demonstrates that technology itself is not going to increase student achievement; it’s the way that it’s being utilized. This is consistent with current research findings in educational technology.
Artifact: Action Research Paper
In ET 670, teacher research and inquiry, I was able to conduct action research on the use of interactive educational games and how they motivate students. I viewed many sources and wrote an action plan based on current research and best practices. I have not conducted this research in my classroom due to the dynamics of my class since writing this paper. I have been fortunate the past two years to have students who demonstrated strong computation and problem solving skills and therefore the implementation of the research has not be relevant for me. Utilizing the research findings conducted during this class has been beneficial for me in many other ways and useful during my planning of my internship.
B. Integration of Technology into the Curriculum
Being able to understand and apply educational technology research is an important part of being a technology facilitator. Throughout your program, you read a variety of research articles and have access to many sources of research. As educational technology is constantly changing, you should complete the program with the ability and desire to find new research about current and emerging technologies in the schools and apply that to your own teaching and help other teachers apply it to their teaching. This will help you keep up to date with best practices and use technology most effectively to improve student learning.
ISTE TF-II.B, TF-III.A. TF-III.E, TF-IV.C
ISTE TF-II.B, TF-III.A. TF-III.E, TF-IV.C
Artifact: Telecollaborative Project
In ET630 I created a telecollaborative project which was adapted from an ePals project, “The Way We Are”as well as one of my favorite teacher bloggers, Linda Yollis who created a similar project called, “Our World, Our Stories.” This project includes several elements that effectively integrate technology resources that are consistent with best practices and major research findings for integrating the learning of subject matter and student technology standards. This multidisciplinary approach to teaching and learning meets cross curricular standards/objectives in reading, writing and social studies as well as many of the ISTE and NET-S standards for technology. The goal of this project is to create a global community of student learners by connecting four classrooms with diverse cultural backgrounds through the use of blogging and multimedia to share stories, experiences, thoughts and opinions about a variety of themes to recognize differences and similarities in cultures. The eight week project is broken into four modules/themes where week one of each module is devoted to uploading multimedia and week two is for responses. The four themes include Typical School Day, What’s for Lunch, After School Activities and a personal student blog entry where each student will get an open-ended opportunity to share information about their selves. At the conclusion of the project there is a scheduled celebration using video conferencing technology through Skype to “meet” their blogging partners. (More information about this project and the modules can be found on my “Express Yourself” website.) The teachers involved in this project will use a private message board on the project Facebook page to stay connected. The students will be held accountable for the quality and quantity of responses through the use of the project rubric. This project hopes to instill a love of learning, an awareness of cultural differences and an opportunity to utilize 21st century technology in an innovative way in the classroom.
Artifact: UDL Unit Plan
(Don't forget to extract the compressed folder so hyperlinks work properly)
In ET641 I created a unit plan which incorporated a wide variety of technology with a Science unit on the flow of matter in our world. The unit plan includes 5 lessons that span approximately a two week period. The lessons are cohesive in nature where each lesson builds upon the previous and is necessary to complete the culminating project at the conclusion of the unit. The final project has students digitally constructing a food chain using text or audio to describe their content (producers, consumers, decomposers, herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, predators, prey…) The audio aspect is a universal design element which enables students who have difficulties with print or typing skills to complete the project as easy as their counterparts. Besides the final project, the technology in this unit include digital video, QR codes, independent research using a variety of websites, audio books, and other media, Smart Notebook, Microsoft PowerPoint and other web2.0 tools. These technology resources allow students to learn the Science curriculum in a different and exciting way.
I was fortunate enough to complete this unit with my students and they really enjoyed the independent research on producers including photosynthesis and pollination. I signed out the laptop cart and bookmarked about 10-15 websites and videos on my student’s personal drive. They also utilized my personal iPad as well as our classroom Smartboard to conduct research as partners. They took notes and shared their findings with their collaborative groups. They were better able to complete the final project because of the opportunity to discover the content on their own and it was evident in their scores. Most all students scored the maximum points available on the rubric for describing producers.
In ET641 I created a unit plan which incorporated a wide variety of technology with a Science unit on the flow of matter in our world. The unit plan includes 5 lessons that span approximately a two week period. The lessons are cohesive in nature where each lesson builds upon the previous and is necessary to complete the culminating project at the conclusion of the unit. The final project has students digitally constructing a food chain using text or audio to describe their content (producers, consumers, decomposers, herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, predators, prey…) The audio aspect is a universal design element which enables students who have difficulties with print or typing skills to complete the project as easy as their counterparts. Besides the final project, the technology in this unit include digital video, QR codes, independent research using a variety of websites, audio books, and other media, Smart Notebook, Microsoft PowerPoint and other web2.0 tools. These technology resources allow students to learn the Science curriculum in a different and exciting way.
I was fortunate enough to complete this unit with my students and they really enjoyed the independent research on producers including photosynthesis and pollination. I signed out the laptop cart and bookmarked about 10-15 websites and videos on my student’s personal drive. They also utilized my personal iPad as well as our classroom Smartboard to conduct research as partners. They took notes and shared their findings with their collaborative groups. They were better able to complete the final project because of the opportunity to discover the content on their own and it was evident in their scores. Most all students scored the maximum points available on the rubric for describing producers.
C. Technology Resources
Being a technology facilitator requires the ability to use technology resources, find new resources, and find ways to acquire new resources that are compatible with the standards used in your school.
ISTE IF-II.C
ISTE IF-II.C
Artifact: Blog
In ET630 we were responsible for creating and updating a blog using Blogger where we posted a variety of Web2.0 application reviews. I located and evaluated many different sites and found innovative technology resources utilizing the read-write web that are applicable in my classroom. I created examples and blogged about the educational uses of each of the websites I encountered. I discovered new technology I didn’t know existed such as Wallwisher (now Padlet) and a similar website called Lino where classrooms collaborate on a blank canvas on the web and add sticky notes, photos, videos and other multimedia to meet curricular needs. I also found many websites that utilize audio and recorded voice such as Vocaroo, Voki and iPopetz.tv. These sites offer students an interactive opportunity to record their voice and upload to the web using mobile devices or classroom computers in response to content. Voki and iPopetz.tv allow students to create a character and record voice while Vocaroo is simply an online audio recorder. Utilizing this technology provides a differentiated and motivating approach to enhancing content which enables all learners to be successful. I look forward to sharing these websites during my internship as well as utilizing them on my classroom blog.
Artifact: Web Resource Reviews (See Hyperlinks)
In ET610 I conducted an interactive website review of Arcademic Skill Builders, I Know That, and Splash Math to enrich the mathematics curriculum. These are websites that I have utilized with my students in the past and find them to be useful to enrich student’s content knowledge in certain subject areas or assist students who require remediation. These interactive sites are free to use and are motivating to students. Arcademic Skill Builders and I Know That are free websites while Splash Math is a paid App through the Apple App Store which costs $9.99 per grade level license. This app is well worth the cost as I have used it often with struggling students. It provides up to 6 student accounts which tracks their progress and sends weekly progress reports to the teacher.
In ET608 I reviewed an eLearning tool called “Celly” which is a free texting service for educational purposes. Celly allows users to turn their mobile devices into interactive response systems through the use of text messaging. This is a much more affordable alternative to purchasing similar products such as Smart Responses where a set of 32 clickers and all the accessories can easily cost over $1,600 depending on the provider. This service enhances classroom discussions outside of the classroom as well as inside by providing the ability to poll students or receive instant feedback if used as a formative assessment. Unfortunately, I have not been able to use this tool with my students due to AACPS cell phone policies as well as my school’s policy. In future years as a technology leader, I am certain I will be utilizing similar services with my students when mobile devices become more welcomed into the learning environment.
In ET608 I reviewed an eLearning tool called “Celly” which is a free texting service for educational purposes. Celly allows users to turn their mobile devices into interactive response systems through the use of text messaging. This is a much more affordable alternative to purchasing similar products such as Smart Responses where a set of 32 clickers and all the accessories can easily cost over $1,600 depending on the provider. This service enhances classroom discussions outside of the classroom as well as inside by providing the ability to poll students or receive instant feedback if used as a formative assessment. Unfortunately, I have not been able to use this tool with my students due to AACPS cell phone policies as well as my school’s policy. In future years as a technology leader, I am certain I will be utilizing similar services with my students when mobile devices become more welcomed into the learning environment.
Artifact: Grant Funding Paper
In ET680 I worked with a small team to research and evaluate grants to be used towards funding technology resources for our schools. The team consisted of me and two other teachers with similar technology interests. All three of us have access to Smart Response Interactive Systems in our respective schools and understand the potential this technology can serve in a classroom. We also understand how this technology is often neglected because it appears complex. Therefore, our fundamental purpose for our funding project was to provide more access and professional development for the Smart Response technology. We researched a variety of grants which provided open-ended funding such as the “From Failure to Promise K-12 Educator’s Grant,” “Foundation for Rural Education and Development Technology Grant” and the “Corning Incorporated Foundation Grant.” Each of these grants have different criterion but the funding can be used in a variety of ways which we would use towards purchasing the Smart Response hardware. The other grants we found (Learning and Leadership and the Pitsco/Hearlihy/FTEE Grant) are geared more towards professional development which we would use to provide Smart Response training. The ultimate goal in this project was to analyze a wide variety of grants and gear them towards a single focus of providing technology resources in our schools. Learning how to find and write grants is a beneficial skill that this course provided me. I have not had the time or opportunity to follow through with any of the aforementioned grants but know I will need to utilize this great resource as a technology leader in a school where funds for new technology are limited.
D. Managing the Technology-Rich Classroom
Managing a classroom that uses technology can be a challenge. You should have a variety of strategies for managing the technology itself as well managing students in a technology-rich learning environment.
ISTE TF-II., TF-II.D, TF-II.E, TF-III.D
ISTE TF-II., TF-II.D, TF-II.E, TF-III.D
Artifact: Telecollaborative Project
The telecollaborative project requires a wide variety of technology to be implemented in the classroom. This project could not be done without the use of technology and a project like this can lead many educators to high levels of anxiety and stress causing them to forfeit projects altogether. It is vital that technology procedures and expectations are created and reviewed with students each day the project takes place. It is also necessary that a highly structured classroom is maintained. Students must understand procedures and expectations and should be held accountable for their actions just as in any other classroom activity. As part of my telecollaborative project the students will be utilizing blogging and other technology and the management of this project is integrated into the project guidelines. On my closure page (use Firefox) I provide information about classroom management procedures for this project. I include information about posting appropriate content and the consequences of failing to adhere to this expectation. I refer to the acceptable use policy because this document is something that every educator using technology with their students should know about and be able to enforce. I also mention possible roadblocks that may occur during the project. As a technology teacher, it’s important to think about all of the possible things that could go wrong with the technology and have a backup plan for when technology fails you; because it will! Effective planning, management and follow through are mandatory in the technology classroom in order for projects to be successful.
Artifact: Critical Literacy Project
For our critical literacy project in ET630 we studied how information on the internet is not always accurate. To help our students understand the importance of evaluating web sites, we designed a website and set it up like a court case. The students act as detectives and to collect evidence about web sites and then judge the credibility of the sites using a modified version Kathy Shrock’s 5W’s checklist for evaluating websites. This activity is something that is planned to take place in a computer lab where most students have access to a computer and internet. In order to manage this project effectively, we planned shortcomings that we may encounter when completing this project. Some of the shortcomings we mention include computers being unable to connect to the Internet and administrative blocking of our websites. (This happens often, one day a website is working fine, the next day it’s blocked…) In both situations the teacher comes to the lab prepared with other materials to complete the assignment. Since the project requires the researching of animals the teacher should go to the lab prepared with books, encyclopedias and other bookmarked websites which provide “inaccurate” information as a back-up plan. We also mention other issues such as what to do with fast finishing students, what to do with students who have poor reading comprehension skills and are having difficulty reading the content on the websites, and also what to do if students are not working well together. All of these things are important parts which need to be preplanned when managing a technology classroom.
E. Social, Legal and Ethical Issues
As a technology facilitator, you must understand the importance of both teachers and students behaving legally and ethically and providing a safe and healthy environment for student learning with technology. This includes having an understanding of current issues, such as copyright laws and cyberbullying, as well as finding ways to be connected to emerging issues.
ISTE TF-VI.A, TF-VI.D, TF-VI.E
ISTE TF-VI.A, TF-VI.D, TF-VI.E
Artifact: Distance Learning Final Exam
As part of our ET631 studies, we looked at Fair Use and Copyright issues and how they relate to distance learning. For my final exam I was given the option to respond to a variety of questions and one of them was on the four major principles of Fair Use as it relates to Copyright. For each of the four principles I provided a real-world classroom example of complying and violating the principle. The content I learned on Fair Use and Copyright is very beneficial to me as I serve as my school’s eCoach. Fair Use and Copyright laws seem to be violated quite often in the elementary school setting. As part of my internship and eCoach responsibilities, I am going to be creating and maintaining a website with valuable information from my committee meetings as well as pertinent information regarding technology. Information on Fair Use and Copyright is something that will be added to this website to help meet this standard.
Artifact: Issue Paper
One of the major issues that continue to plague AACPS is the inconsistency with equitable access to technology. Brand new schools receive millions of dollars in new technology while the rest must fund purchases on their own. Once this occurs, the principal is responsible for determining who receives the technology and who gets left out. In ET680, we were given the task to write a paper on a current issue and provide possible solutions for the issue. I chose to work with a partner, Kate Mason, because she and I share a common experience; Kate’s current principal is my prior. We have both witnessed this same principal hand out technology to teacher’s she believes will utilize it while the rest of the staff receives no technology at all. This issue is something we both identified and as future technology leaders, something that should not be appropriate in the 21st century learning environment. Even without being blessed with the new technology a new building provides, utilizing the technology one has in a more equitable way is required. For our issue paper we discuss these things and propose solutions and policy changes.
F. Technology for Diversity
Technology can be a powerful tool for affirming cultural diversity. As a technology facilitator, you should be mindful of the variety of technologies that increase global understanding and affirm cultural diversity.
ISTE TF-VI.B, TF-VI.C
ISTE TF-VI.B, TF-VI.C
Artifact: Telecollaborative Project
The telecollaborative project provides an excellent
opportunity for students to be fully engaged with technology while fostering a
global learning community. This project affirms diversity and teaches students
about cultural and language differences. Through the use of my “Express
Yourself” project (adapted from The
Way We Are and Our World
Our Stories projects) the students will identify similarities and differences
in cultures with students around the globe. Through the use of blogging and
multimedia, they will begin to develop relationships with their peers with the
goal of diminishing stereotypes of people who are different. The students will
be able to recognize that although they may look different, they are quite
similar. The connection that this project provides is one that can change
perspectives and create life long learners. The students will engage in a
series of exchanges using the project
blog from a typical school day to what’s for lunch. They will post videos
and pictures of their school day, the foods they eat, the activities their
involved in and respond by commenting on posts. The students will be able to
“meet” their friends at the conclusion of the project by meeting on Skype. This
activity may prove challenging but the risk is worth the reward.
G. Technology for Diverse and Special Needs
Technology can facilitate the needs of special needs students through adaptive and assistive technology and differentiated instruction. As a technology facilitator, you should understand these tools, use them in your classroom as needed, and be able to work with other teachers to use these tools as needed.
ISTE TF-II.A, TF-III.B, TF-VI.B
ISTE TF-II.A, TF-III.B, TF-VI.B
Artifact: UDL Unit Plan
(Don't forget to extract the compressed folder so hyperlinks work properly)
In my Assistive Technology ET641 course, I learned about Universal Design for Learning (UDL). I always thought that I had a good understanding on how to meet individual student needs and how to differentiate in my classroom but after taking this class I learned so much more about what it means to accomplish this. UDL principals take into consideration the diverse needs of all learners and during this class we focused on technology adaptations that can be used to support these needs. I created a class profile matrix which identified and classified the specific needs of students in my class. From this matrix, I was able to analyze the diverse needs of my learners and recommend appropriate technology to allow for differentiation to help these students be successful. Using this information I designed a unit plan with careful consideration of the diverse learners I have in my class. I adapted my unit plan to meet these students’ needs through the use of technology and included Universal Design tools such as the unit organizer, lincs cards, smarter planning, and lesson frames. These tools not only meet the needs of students with academic disabilities but provide opportunities to enrich students through the use of differentiation. This course has reminded me the importance of planning to meet the needs of all learners during any given lesson and has provided strategies to accomplish this using technology.
In my Assistive Technology ET641 course, I learned about Universal Design for Learning (UDL). I always thought that I had a good understanding on how to meet individual student needs and how to differentiate in my classroom but after taking this class I learned so much more about what it means to accomplish this. UDL principals take into consideration the diverse needs of all learners and during this class we focused on technology adaptations that can be used to support these needs. I created a class profile matrix which identified and classified the specific needs of students in my class. From this matrix, I was able to analyze the diverse needs of my learners and recommend appropriate technology to allow for differentiation to help these students be successful. Using this information I designed a unit plan with careful consideration of the diverse learners I have in my class. I adapted my unit plan to meet these students’ needs through the use of technology and included Universal Design tools such as the unit organizer, lincs cards, smarter planning, and lesson frames. These tools not only meet the needs of students with academic disabilities but provide opportunities to enrich students through the use of differentiation. This course has reminded me the importance of planning to meet the needs of all learners during any given lesson and has provided strategies to accomplish this using technology.
H. Instructional Design
Well-designed instruction and learning environments are a key factor in student learning. You should have a strong grasp of instructional design principles for a technology-rich environment.
ISTE TF-II.F
ISTE TF-II.F
Artifact: Distance Learning Program
During my Distance Education class my team and I worked collaboratively to design a distance education course to meet the professional development technology needs of the middle school teachers in the Old Mill cluster in AACPS. For this project we analyzed all of the needs for professional development and determined the best way to design a course that could realistically meet these needs. We determined a budget and organized every detail that would be included in our proposed course. This program was created to design a different way to conduct professional development. This project was conducted as a competition where the best designed and most realistic “course” would earn the funding to create the project. (Hypothetical of course) My group’s project design was so well planned and realistic that it was chosen as the winner of the class competition by my professor. With this project we included a presentation as well as a detailed cost grid of all necessary finances for our budget.