Integrating
Instructional Technology
Teachers are incorporating technology into their
curriculum for students to have a better understanding of each lesson.
Technology is becoming a great source for teachers to help them gain and
maintain students attention at all times. As they are implementing different
technology tools to help facilitate and enhance instruction in class, students
are fascinated while learning new lessons and how to use the different tools.
"Technology can also consist of any reliable technique or method for
engaging learning, such as cognitive learning, strategies and critical thinking
skills." (Bacon, Pearson Allyn, Crismond, D., Hall, Prentice, Howland, J.,
Jonassen, D., Marra, R.M.) The technology tools that will help me and my
students to better facilitate and enhance instructions in the classroom while
using a teacher computer and a projector. Also web tools such as,
readwritethink.org, bubbl.us and storybird.com. These tools will help students
better understand any lecture, lesson and activity while having fun as they are
engaging with one another and enjoying using technology.
Bubbl.us
Technology in the
classrooms is becoming a great source to teach lessons in a much more exciting
way, that students are becoming more involved in classroom activities and
lessons. Bubbl.us is a great web tool that will help teachers teach students
how to brainstorm and learn how to organize important
information gathered from any resources into a graphic organizer. This tool
will help students organize and sort important information into major topics.
As well as helping teacher teach students about science by making it fun and
exciting. I will implement this tool into my lesson when teaching students
about volcanoes. It will help them organize the correct information into the
right spot of the graphic organizer. This tool will also make it much easier
for students when they start writing their paper about what they learned on
"Volcanoes."
Readwritethink
To better help students understand literature by using
technology as it will involve students to participate more into classroom
activities, lectures, lessons and classroom discussions. The
"ReadWriteThink" web tool will help facilitate and enhance
instruction in class as it will guide students to better understand the story,
by helping them organize information gathered from different sources about the
story and characters. I will use this tool when teaching my students about
literature, as we will first read the story about "The Three Little
Pigs" as a group, then let students explore the web to collect information
. As students demonstrate the understanding of the story, teachers can see the
collaboration among each other that shows that they comprehend what they read
and it will be much easier for them to apply the information into the graphic
organizer.
Storybird
The "Storybird" is a web tool that will
facilitate and enhance instruction in the classroom environment. As it will help students gain interest into
reading, sharing and creating their own books. They will also express
themselves by using their imaginations on creative writing and develop many
skills such as reading comprehension, vocabulary and reading fluency. I will
incorporate this tool into my curriculum as it will help students become more
involved in reading and writing. Every student will have the opportunity to
create their own books, help each other out while creating their stories and
will have the opportunity to share it with each other. This tool provides
everyone access to read many different books and have the ability to comment on
any book.
Pros
and Cons of using Technology to Facilitate Learning
Technology
is becoming very important now in days. There are pros and cons of using
technology to facilitate learning in classrooms. Many teachers are becoming to
incorporate it into their curriculums because it has help them teach their
lessons successfully and engaged students through many different activities. As
students are becoming more involved because teachers have changed the way they
teach by making it interesting and fun. " Integration of technology in
schools has changed today's education and also the way teacher and students use
their classrooms." (Sahakov, Roman) "Negative aspects that have come
with the rise of technology, such as students ease of access to materials and
the constant lure of plagiarism." (Davidr)
Wired and Wireless Classrooms
Wired
or wireless is still a technology tool, the only difference is that wired has
to be a desktop computer that is used only connected with wires to gain access
to electricity and network. Wireless is a laptop, iPad or phone that has access
to the internet by WiFi without having to use a wire. The pros and cons about
wired and wireless is that wireless is more expensive, it takes less space and
can be taken anywhere. The wired takes up more space and does not have access
to WiFi. Wired devices have more storage space a 100 MB per second network
transmission capacity at each port, than a wireless that does not have a lot of
storage space and only has a 15MB. ( Fielding, Randall) With this being said I
will try to have both kinds of devices in my classrooms in case my students
need to store more information and also make it more convenient for students to
take the laptops anywhere. This two access methods will impact my teaching and
students learning by everyone having access to the network at all times and being
able to work as a team to help each other out.
Conclusion
Technology
is the key to success in and out of school. It has enhanced everyone's
lifestyle in such ways that it has helped everyone gain and developed many
different skills. It's becoming to be teachers number one resource to provide
students with the necessary knowledge and to grow the skills required to
succeed in life. Students are engaged into lectures, activities and lessons
because teacher are making it much more interesting and fun as they integrate
different technology tools that are helping to better facilitate and enhance
instruction in classrooms.
References
Bacon,
Pearson Allyn, Crismond, D., Hall, Prentice, Howland, J., Jonassen, D., Marra,
R.M.. "How Does Technology Facilitate Learning?" Education.com. July
20, 2010. February 22, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/how-does-technology-facilitate-learning/
Davidr.
"Pros and Cons of Technology in Education." WriteCheck. November 19,
2011. February 22, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/education-technology-pros-cons/
Field,
Randall. "Wired Versus Wireless." Technology in School Computer
Networks. DesignShare.com. December, 1999. February 22, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.designshare.com/Research/Wired/Wired1.htm
Sahakov,
Roman. "2 Pros and 2 Cons to Education Technology" Edudemic
Connecting Education & Technology. January 15, 2014. February 22, 2015.
Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/education-technology-pros-cons/
"TIM Arizona Technology
Integration Matrix.:" Arizona K12 center, 2012. February 22, 2015.
Retrieved from www.azk12.org/tim/
