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Integrating Technology

Running head: INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO THE CLASSROOM

Integrating Technology

Into the Classroom Curriculum

Angelica S. Gonzalez

California State University, Northridge

EED 616, Professor Tae Chang

Integrating Technology Into the Classroom Curriculum

The use of technology in education has numerous benefits for instruction and learning (Earle, 2002). Technology innovations that are available in the 21st century provide teachers with opportunities to enhance their professional practice and to stimulate young minds in ways that can make a profound and lasting difference. When used effectively, technology can make a valuable learning tool (Haugland, 2000). There are a number of technology resources that can be powerful contributors to learning. Teachers should evaluate and use technology as a supplemental tool to assist their students in the learning process. These technology resources must be used to, “deepen children’s engagement in meaningful and intellectually authentic curriculum” (Murphy, DePasquale, & McNamara, 2003 p. 2). According to Kreul (2001), “the focus of technology use should be for writing, communications, research, and problem solving” (p. 230). Technology not only impacts education, but it helps students succeed beyond school and helps them develop crucial life skills (Haugland, 2002).

Teachers are critically examining the impact of technology on learning by integrating technology into their classrooms. These teachers are faced with a challenge to contribute to the effectiveness of technology. Researchers have found that designing effective instruction to incorporate with technology is essential for technology to have a profound effect on student learning (Murphy, et al. 2003; Earle, 2002; Griffith & Lynch-Brown, 2002; Kreul, 2002; Haugland, 2000). Earle (2002) expresses the view that “integrating technology is not about technology-it is primarily about content and effective instructional practices” (p. 7). He asserts that the focus of technology integration must be on curriculum and learning.

There is a “strong connection between appropriate teacher use of technology and increased student achievement” (Earle, 2002, p. 7). The National Association for the Education of Young Children (1996) is an advocate of educational technology. The NAEYC stresses, “educators must apply the same criteria they would to any other learning tool or experience” when evaluating technology for classroom use (p. 1). Professional judgment by teachers is required to determine if a specific use of technology is appropriate for students.

Eisenwine and Hunt (2000) describe their instructional programs in reading and writing. With only a single computer in the classroom, they discovered various methods to effectively teach reading and writing to a small group of first grade students with special needs. They use the computer as a tool to motivate their “journey to literacy”. The software programs, they found to be effective for the student’s literacy development were Hyperstudio and KidPix.

The Hyperstudio software was a fun way students could follow along and listen to a story. The software’s special features made it enjoyable for the students to use a learning tool. Students listened to a story, viewed animated images and large primary font with exaggerated spaces between words. The KidPix software was also a useful leaning tool used to assist in the literacy development of the first graders. KidPix helped the students improve their writing skills during independent writing center time. Students used KidPix to illustrate and write about their illustrations. At the end of the school year, both teacher and students were satisfied with the outcomes. They had come full circle from the teachers writing of simple talking books for
students to read to children publishing their own books using the identified computer programs (Eisenwine & Hunt, 2000).

In the article written by Murphy et al. (2003) the co-authors, DePasquale and McNamara, discuss their experiences with technology. DePasquale and McNamara describe their science units on honeybees and plants and express how technology empowered their first and second grade students. Throughout the science units the co-authors witnessed learning processes taking place within their classrooms. The outcomes for teaching and learning were positively influenced with the technology selected. Students became familiar with all computer applications and software. They successfully researched and wrote about the topics for the science units. Webbing software and art programs provided students with many opportunities to improve their technology skills. Students expressed interest and took responsibility for their learning. Computers also gave students the opportunity to work together and create class websites and slide shows as culminating tasks at the end of the science units. McNamara expressed, “technology played a key role in enriching the children’s learning by offering a series of opportunities to build upon their growing knowledge of honeybees” (Murphy, et al., 2003, p. 5). DePasquale and McNamara succeeded in applying instruction practices with technology.

Technology can benefit students at every grade level. Early exposure to technology can have developmental gains for students and can also be an effective organizational tool for teachers (Solvie, 2004; Murphy, et al., 2003). Solvie’s (2004) desire to improve her practice and meet children’s needs prompted her to research the effectiveness of digital whiteboards in her first grade classroom. Her focus was to integrate the digital whiteboards into her reading instruction to improve her practice and to meet her student’s needs. Solvie’s findings revealed that the digital whiteboards proved be an effective instructional tool. She observed positive gains in her student’s engagement in leaning. She comments, “the digital whiteboard was a novel and created enthusiasm for learning” (p. 486). Solvie also noted the digital whiteboards “to be an organizational tool for lesson preparation and an effective way to follow up on instruction” (p. 484).

Students require a solid foundation of basic skills and motivation to learn. Technology use in the classroom can have a profound effect on student’s achievement in school. Research shows that technology is most effective when teachers used technology to promote higher-order thinking skills (Wenglinsky, 2005-2006). Students became deeply motivated and engaged in the learning process when working with technology. In a recent study discussed by Tiene and Luft (2001-2002), they found that several teachers emphasized the heightened levels of motivation in their students, and they also agreed that the use of technology facilitated higher levels of achievement in their students.

Technology-rich learning environments can provide a number of very important benefits. Tiene and Luft (2001-2002) discuss the dynamics of a technology rich learning environment and the educational outcomes associated with intensive use of technology by teachers and students. The study was conducted at Kent State University in a special facility, the Ameritech Electronic University Classroom. The classroom was designed with the latest technology innovations to make technology easily assessable to teachers and students. The participating teachers reported their overall satisfaction with the educational experience and expressed their increase development of skills with technology, changes in their classroom dynamics, their modification of teaching style, and student achievement gains. Students seemed more engaged in independent, individual investigations and in collaborative small group assignments. The use of technology enhanced cooperative experiences between students. Students worked together on projects and often shared their technology knowledge amongst each other. The use of technology also allowed students to work independently and at their own pace. The participating teachers welcomed the opportunity to encounter the challenge of integrating technology into their curricula.

Some of the teachers who participated in the Ameritech project had prior experience with technology, but did not frequently use technology in their classrooms. The teacher’s positive experiences with technology allowed them to begin to view technology as an instructional tool. Tiene and Luft (2002) report the findings from the second study of the Ameritech project, and they comment on the “extent to which the teachers experiences in the study have affected their teaching over the course of the three years since they left the technology-rich setting” (p. 19). The immersion experience with technology had a long-term effect on the participating teachers. The teachers continued to use technology in their classrooms. Many found resources to equipped their classrooms with more technology than they originally had available or nearly as much as the Ameritech classroom (Tiene & Luft, 2002).

As a teacher, I can relate with the experiences that the Ameritech teachers were faced with. I am fortunate to work for a school that is committed to have technology available for teachers and students. Technology resources are available within my classroom, and I make an attempt to find ways to integrate technology into my curriculum. Students often work on Kidspiration to web their ideas before writing, word processing software to publish their writing, and KidPix to illustrate their stories. Additionally, I am able to enhance instruction with a Sound-field Amplification System. This system allows me to move freely around the room, and students are able to hear instruction at every angle. The document camera is another tool that I use in my classroom to assist me with instructional delivery. Students are able to view instructional material on a 120-inch screen. Using technology for classroom lessons and projects motivates and engages my students in the learning process. In general, my students respond positively when given the chance to actively participate in the learning process with technology. They are more likely to take pride in their work and are eager to begin learning activities.

Technology can have a powerful effect on education. The objective is to use technology in ways that are “meaningful to students and authentic in terms of real world situations” (Kreul, 2001, p. 230). As stated by Earle (2002), “It is not about what technology by it self can do, but what teachers and learners may be able to accomplish using these tools” (p. 9). The integration of technology as a tool to enhance curriculum and learning proves to be effective when students, as a result, are able to “solve problems using available resources, communicate effectively with others, make decisions based on information gathered from many sources, and be able to deal successfully with change” (Kreul, 2001, p. 231). Teachers have the capability to motivate and facilitate learning for their students and prepare them for the changes technology will make in their futures.

References

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Promises and challenges. Educational Technology, 5-13.

Eisenwine, M. J., & Hunt, D. A. (2000). Using a computer in literacy groups with emergent

readers. Reading Teacher, 53(6), 456-459. Retrieved March 01, 2006, from EBSCOhost database.

Griffith, P.L., & Lynch-Brown, C. (2002). Owning technology. Reading Teacher, 55(7), 614-

615.

Haugland, S.W. (2000). Annual editions: Computers in education 2002/2003. In J. J.

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Kreul, M. (2001). New tools for teaching and learning: Connecting literacy and technology in a

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Murphy, K.L., DePasquale, R., & McNamara, E. (2003). Meaning connections: Using

technology in primary classrooms. Young Children on the Web. 1-9.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1996). Technology and young

children-Ages 3 through 8. Retrieved March 3, 2005, from http://www.naeyc.org

Solvie, P. A. (2004). The digital whiteboard: A tool in early literacy instruction. The Reading

Teacher, 57(5), 484-487.

Tiene, D., & Luft, P. (2001-2002). Classroom dynamics in a technology-rich learning

environment. Learning & Leading with Technology, 29(4), 11-60.

Tiene, D., & Luft, P. (2002). Reaping the benefits of technology immersion. Learning & Leading

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Wenglinsky, H. (2005-2006). Technology and achievement the bottom line. Educational

Leadership, 63(4), 29-32.