Technology Integration

When I hear the word technology it makes me cringe, I have never been what one would consider tech savvy and have always struggled with that. Being at school and having so many classes on technology I have become a lot more comfortable with technology, but it still isn’t something that I am 100% comfortable with. This caused me to be very nervous when integrating technology in my unit, but doing this has opened my eyes to a lot of the different options that are out there for integrating technology, and I am a lot more open to the different options.

When starting to plan my unit, I first decided what topic each of my lessons would focus on, and then I decided where I would integrate the technology. I knew that there were a few programs that I wanted to be included, so I started with those, and placed them throughout the lessons.

The first technology that my students used was a website called Pixton, which is a program where students can make their own digital comics to present information. In the lesson they were provided an example of what the comic should look like, and then they were split into groups to make their own. I decided to include this in my unit because it is a fun way for the students to present the information to the rest of the class, and it is fun and engaging.

Another form of technology that they used was Glogster in order to make a digital poster about a Pharaoh from Ancient Egypt. Glogster is a great resource to use that allows students to make a poster online and be able to include videos, links, picture, and sounds. The students will be given websites where they can look up information and then make the digital poster and then present to the class. I believe that this enhanced my unit because it is a way that students can really put their ideas and the information that they found out there and share them with the class.

The students will also be going on a webquest to learn all about the animals of Ancient Egypt. This is something that I made on Glogster where the students go to different pages and read about the different animals. The students are not creating anything themselves with this, but they are required to go through the different pages to gather the information. This is a fun an interactive way to present information to students so that they are not just being talked at for an hour.

The students are also going to be writing a blog in ClassPress, which is a blogging website for classes where students can share their work. The students will be reflecting about what life would be like if they had grown up in Ancient Egypt. Writing a blog as opposed to writing on paper gives students the chance to do something out of the ordinary, which they may not be used to, and would therefore make it more exciting for them. Students can also share their work with each other through this program and discuss their different points of view.

There is also an E-Book that I made using PowerPoint that the students are going to read in the beginning of a lesson. The book is an introduction to Egypt, and gives the students some background information. It has the print words at the bottom of the page and it also has the recorded voice that the students can listen to. This is good for students because it puts the learning more on them because they have to read it themselves, but it also gives them the needed support so they get the information that is presented.

The last piece of technology is a Virtual Field Trip where students go through pictures and videos of Egyptian ruins to learn more about what Egypt was like. Each student will be on his or her own computer and go through the presentation and spot at significant places in Egypt. Since it is highly unlikely for a student to have taken a trip to Egypt, this is a good way to show them what it looks like and help them make a connection to what they have learned.

Although this part of my unit was the most challenging, I believe that it made it more engaging, interactive, and exciting for the students. When teaching Egypt, it is hard for some students to understand and connect to what is being taught because they either have never been there or they have never heard of it. Integrating technology makes it so that students can really connect to the topic that is being presented. In addition, kids love computers, it is what they have grown up with since they were born. Being able to use computers really excited children in every classroom that I have been in, and make them so much more interested in what they are learning. The programs mentioned above, and others such as Animoto, a site to create movies, ActivInspire, which is a program for SMART boards, and Edmodo which is a safe social networking site for a class, are really helping education is moving in a totally different direction.

In the future I do plan on using technology in my classroom. I am still a little old school in thinking that it should not be used all the time, and that it is frequently used as busy work for students though. There are some programs that are not effective in student learning and are made to generate higher test scores, which, in my opinion is not a beneficial use of technology. One site that I feel like is overused at the school that I student teach at, which is ineffective is Study Island. It is a website that tests students in math and reading and from what I hear about it, it is not engaging for students, and they aren’t learning much. When I am given the chance, I would like to use the programs above and Apple products if they are available in my school district. Apple has been reinventing technology for education by making things such as the iPad with multiple applications that can be used in the classroom. While I do not plan in having my students rely on technology and my classroom dependent on technology, I do plan to use it to enhance the education of my students.