Technology Integration: What I've learned

Throughout this course, I've been given an extensive amount of new information with regards to technology integration. Having taught school since 2005, I believed that I was ahead of the game when it came to using technology in the classroom. I create daily power points, use Prezi religiously, have my students use computers to conduct research, and use programs from the Web (such as BrainPop and Edmodo) to present material in different ways; however, now I realize that I am not doing enough. Technology integration is so much more than the teacher using and presenting the material; the students must be involved in conducting their own learning through technology use.   

Another thing that I've learned is the importance of not using technology in place of learning but using it to enhance the learning. Technological tools must be implemented to enhance standards, curriculum and activities. As teachers, we need to find a way to do this without compromising the integrity of the lesson we teach. Connection with the standards is the key and with todays availability of applications, programs and softwares, it's easier than ever to make this connection. As an English/Language Arts teacher, I find that locating types of technology to use to enhance lessons is easy. I use programs like Grammaropolis and Mad Libs for grammar lessons, use videos from TeacherTube and YouTube to present new concepts, and have my students conduct research on their own devices and take quizzes using the Socrative app to name a few. My learning of how to use technology has grown by leaps and bounds and I try now to implement it daily into my content. 

A few of the things I have enjoyed most about this course is not only developing the WebQuest, but also reading the numerous articles as well as the book Leading 21st Century Schools. In my reading of 21st Century Schools, I annotated my book so much that I won't be able to sell it back :) I discovered many quotes and ideas to help me within my own classroom. One of the drawbacks is that though the times are changing, schools aren't necessarily caught up. "...a climate of inquiry that challenges the school community to continually re-purpose itself by building on its core values and beliefs about its preferred future and then developing a pathway to read it" (Schrum and Levin, 2009). When I read this, I thought "if we KNOW this, why don't we do it?" and I still think that. Another note I made was "so because of NCLB the technology standards necessary were ignored in favor of standardized testing....how does this make sense?" and I still feel that way. Technology integration is more important than testing, so why can't our politicians see that? 

All in all, I am glad this is the first class I took because it has opened my eyes and enhanced what I knew about using technology in the classroom. I look forward to taking what I've learned into my new classroom in Beijing and using it to enhance my design technology class!


Works Cited: 

Schrum, L., & Levin, B. B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

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