Philosophy of Technology in Education

I believe that technology is an invaluable resource for teachers to use in the classroom. However, the recent emphasis on integrating more technology into the classroom raises some concerns in my mind. I understand the benefits of utilizing technology in the classroom, but I think technology needs to be used in combination with traditional teaching methods and strategies. When used in an appropriate and safe way, technology can increase motivation and engagement in the classroom and provide many opportunities for differentiated instruction.

Using technology in the classroom can motivate students to participate in class. In one Arizona classroom aimed at incorporating a plethora of different technologies, students participated enthusiastically in a variety of technology assisted activities and projects (NY Times). The students in this classroom were not sitting in desks staring at the whiteboard, they were engaged in the learning taking place around them (NY Times). This is a reflection of the amount of time today’s students spend using technology. One study found that kids “ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day” using smartphones, laptops, ipods, and other forms of technology (NY Times study).  As a student myself, I have noticed that I am more motivated to participate and even a little excited when I have the opportunity to use a new form of technology in the classroom. Teachers can motivate students to learn, capture their attention, and keep students engaged by incorporating technology in the classroom.

Another benefit of incorporating technology in the classroom is the ease with which it can be used to differentiate instruction. After visiting the Ershig Assistive Technology Resource Center at Western, as well as listening to a presentation about additional forms of assistive technology, I realized the wealth of technology available to support individual student learning. Technological tools can be used to tailor a lesson or instruction to different student needs. Teachers can provide students with specific programs that support their weaker areas while simultaneously engaging the student’s particular learning style and interests.

 Many different programs have recently been created to help students with learning difficulties. One of my favorite programs, Inspiration, can be used to create concept maps. Students who have a hard time organizing their thoughts or large amounts of information would benefit from this type of program. I have also seen a variety of programs aimed at supporting literacy skills, such as iPad apps that read to students, word prediction software, and literacy programs for the Smartboard. Because technology is so versatile, in the future I will be able to select tools for my students to use that meet their specific needs.

Even though technology offers numerous benefits for students and teachers, it should be used cautiously. The boom in instructional technology comes in the midst of an educational crisis that has forced teachers and administrators to face shrinking budgets, teacher layoffs, large class sizes, and dwindling resources. School districts are facing tough decisions between keeping teachers or technology (NY Times).  Despite spending millions of dollars to bring technology into the classroom, some schools are not seeing any changes in test scores (NY Times).  At the Waldorf School of the Peninsula in Silicon Valley, students don’t use computers or any other form of technology in the classroom. The students write on blackboards, work in the school garden, carve wood, and even write with a pencil and paper. The students at Waldorf are engaged, motivated, and quite successful in their studies (Education Nation). Teachers at the Waldorf school point out that incorporating technology does not necessarily lead to success: "I'm concerned that if we say we need technology to engage students we're missing the fact that what engages students is good teachers and good teaching,’ said Lisa Babinet, a Waldorf math teacher” (Education Nation). Instructional technology can only be successful with students if it is paired with skilled teachers and instructional practices.

Many of the new instructional technologies available today are excellent tools for teachers to have in their repertoire.  However, these tools cannot take the place of quality instruction or high quality teachers. When technology is used to enhance a lesson, or to make a lesson more accessible to students, I believe it can help teachers teach more effectively and lead to a higher level of student performance. As a future educator, I hope to use many different types of technology in my classroom. I would like to have a smart board, computers, and a few iPads for my students to use. I would also like to utilize some of the tools I learned to create during IT442. For example, I would love to make a class collection of ebooks written by my students, or even a class collection of instructional videos. I would also like to explore some exemplar classroom websites and eventually create my own. Finally, I would like to take advantage of blogs and other forms of technology that encourage collaboration between teachers, students, and parents.

Technology options for education

Today I learned about many different technologies that I might want to use in my future classroom.

Some technology I would be most likely to use include:

• Mathboard: an inexpensive app for the iPad that allows students to complete a variety of math functions. It gives instructions and reference tools.
• Quizlet: an online flashcard maker. This site allows students to create flashcards and collaborate with each other. Or, a teacher can create a class set for all students to use.
• Flixtime: an online slideshow tool with built in pictures and songs. Students can upload their photos and videos and create a slideshow.
• Edistorm: a virtual brainstorming tool. This site allows students to post virtual sticky notes for brainstorming and organizing concepts. This site is collaborative, offers privacy controls, and works on multiple devices.
• Smart board: an interactive whiteboard tool. Smart boards provide so many engaging and interactive opportunities for learning activities. I like the matching activity as well as the different writing activities.

Some technologies I probably would not use in the classroom:

• Slimber: an online drawing or painting program. This program is similar to paint. I probably would not use it because it isn't as directly related to educational content as some as the other tech choices. Also, students would have access to the same type of program on paint.
• Doink: an art animation site which allows users to create images and then animate them. This program was neat, but it seems like it would be more distracting than beneficial.

I learned many instructional strategy tips from my classmates. I was really impressed to see how many different uses for these tech choices my classmates came up with. I am interested in learning how to incorporate more tech resources for simple things like flashcards or addition problems. The most important thing I learned was that even though technology offers much of the same content material as a paper and pencil environment, utilizing some of these online resources is much more engaging and allows for much more creativity.

The most fascinating technology I learned about was Edistorm. I am a huge fan of sticky notes! I thought it was so cool that there is a site devoted to sticky note brainstorming. Not only can I create my own sticky note brainstorm, Edistorm would allow me to collaborate with others. This could be a great resource in the classroom! I also thought the mathboard app for the iPad was very interesting. The app was very engaging and provided so many different options for supporting student learning.

I am really excited to see how I can utilize some of these great resources in my future classroom!

Lyndsey

Assistive Technology

Hello Readers!

I found a fun and exciting software at the EATRC! Here's what I found out:

• Name of technology: Kreative Komix
• Category of assistive technology: Reading- comprehension and vocabulary, Writing- productivity through text and auditory feedback.
• How it works: Kreative Komix is a program that gives students a blank canvas to create a comic book or slide show on. When students begin a new story, they are given a blank screen and several categories they can use to add information to their story. Students select the scene, with categories including fairytales, sci-fi, American history, superheroes, or something from their own library. Next, students can browse through a list of characters and props, build their own character, or select items to include in their comic. There are also a lot of advanced features that can be added. Some of these include text bubbles, audio clips, and animation. There are features that allow the user to move characters around in the comic, change their size, and flip things around. After students create their comics, there are several options for presenting them. Students can print their comic as an actual book or leave it on the computer and play it as a slide show. For teachers, the comics can be printed to provide visual support or writing prompts. There is also a poster feature that can be used to make anchor charts.
• Universal Design for Learning principles that might be facilitated by this technology:
• Representation of information: Kreative Komix presents information to students in a new and interactive format. Students also have the ability to decide how they want their information presented to others using this software. The comic books can serve as a great visual to use with different lessons. Finally, teachers can use Kreative Komix to create interesting prompts for students to use when starting the writing process. This is a great alternative to regular writing prompts that are presented only in text form.
• Engagement in learning: Kreative Komix gives students a great opportunity to engage in the writing process. Because of the interactive and creative nature of the software, students would be more motivated to engage in reading and writing activities.
• Students who might benefit from this technology: Many students would benefit from using this program. Students who struggle with reading comprehension would benefit from having a visual aid to use with their reading. Some students struggle with the writing process. Kreative Komix would give them a different format to use for prewriting and creating a first draft. For example, students could create a comic book as the first draft of a story and then create a written version of the comic book later. Kreative Komix would be a great program for students who are English language learners. ELL students would benefit from having a visual aid to use during certain lessons.
• Concerns or reservations: Some of the advanced features in the program could be very distracting for some students. It is really easy to play around with something small for a long time and to forget to complete the comic. It could take students a long time to actually complete a comic when they first start using the program because of all the options available. I also think it would be more accessible if the text on the program came in multiple languages and/or with a speech feature for students who may have vision problems. The other concern I have is the price. The program itself is not expensive (it's around 40$), but you have to buy each scene or theme separately. There are six themes in all (science fiction, dinosaurs, history, fairytales, superheroes, and science) which would make it expensive if you wanted to purchase all of them. One theme could still be really useful though!
• Suggestions: I think Kreative Komix could be a useful tool in the classroom. However, I would recommend that teachers introduce it slowly so students learn to use as a tool instead of a game.

You should definitely check out this cool program!

Lyndsey

A day in my life

Hi!

My name is Lyndsey Gibson and I am a student at Western Washington University. I grew up in Muskegon, Michigan and have lived in many different places over the past few years. I want to teach fourth or fifth grade when I finish my program at Western.

An average day in my life can be kind of boring. I always start my day off with a cup of coffee and a yummy bowl of oatmeal. I usally read for ten or twenty minutes in the morning and watch some of the news. I also spend time in the morning feeding my dogs and playing with them. During the week, I leave my house early and drive to school. I spend the rest of the day in class, doing homework, and trying to stay out of the rain! Sometimes I meet a friend for lunch or coffee. My favorite part of the day is in the evening. If there is no rain, I walk my dogs or take them to the beach to play. I like to cook so I spend a lot of time cooking dinner for myself and my fiance. Now that fall is here, I am excited to try out a bunch of new soup recipes! To learn more about me and some other things I like, check out the wordle and the map below!

Thanks for reading!
Lyndsey

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