Teaching+with+Technology

=__**Teaching With Technology Knowledge**__=

__**Week 1**__ Group work is a learning process by all! I really think that being in a group makes a learner more aware of the effort they are putting forward into the learning and group assignment. Group members want to be thought of as productive members so they tend to try harder. My daughter was involved in a group assignment this weekend. She and 4 other students were to make a video commercial about a particular topic. Most of the students were very angry because not all members were cooperating but after my daughter spoke with each of them individually and convinced them that it wouldn’t take long on the assignment if they all meet and talked about it. All members came to my house and completed the job. The members cooperated well together and the assignment was awesome. They even stayed around to watch it several times. Just as my scenario above, Group work can start off slow but in the end be very successful and effective. Learning goes far beyond what most teachers even image when group work is assigned. [posted 3/4/12 by Stacey Matheson]

__**Week 2**__
 * Teaching Every Student**

“The challenges we face as educators inspire us to reconsider the way curriculum is designed and the way schooling is conducted.” (Rose & Meyer, 2002). I ask myself the question as to whether our technology in the classroom is designed to encourage all students to learn, and likewise do educators actually TEACH all students to learn with technology?

I shake my head in disbelief of how many teachers are still teaching. (Standing in front of the classroom lecturing to the students) How much more exciting and stimulating would it be to integrate technology into the learning. Of course, this takes planning from the classroom teacher and in some cases help from a technology specialist but it can be done and it MUST be done. We are teaching to the Technology Experts! Teachers have to step up their lessons and integrate technology in order to stimulate them.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). //Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Website. Chapter 1. Retrieved on March 12, 2012, from [] [posted 3/12/12 by Stacey Matheson]

__**Week 3**__ __**Knowledge Learned -**__ **Planning for Technology** Are the technologies we use in the classrooms improving student achievement? In most cases yes, but in every case? The authors of //Using technology with classroom instruction that works// state that “Your lesson design should //always// begin here.” (Pitler, 2007) They are referring to the four planning questions for integrating technologies. What wonderful questions. I think I'm going to print these questions out and tape them on my wall in my office so that all my technology planning is oriented around these questions. When integrating technology in the classroom it is essential that teachers plan to use appropriate technologies for their lessons. The four core planning questions that teachers must ask when integrating technologies are: What will students learn? Which strategies will provide evidence of student learning? Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate learning? And Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply learning?

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Appendix: Planning for Technology, 217-225.

__**UDL Book Builder **__ url = [] Shared Book Builder - []

Team Reflection URL = [] __Personal Reflection of Book Builder: __The UDL Book Builder from the CAST website was not a quick project. In fact, my book is still in the beginning stage but will be added to later. To truly activate students on each page a coach should speak to them and they should be asked to answer questions. Once I completely understand the mechanics of the Book Builder program then I may be able to quickly design a book for lessons/units.

__**UDL Lesson **__ __url__ = [] Team Google site = [] __Reflection of UDL Lesson__ = The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lesson that I created this week was completed in the UDL lesson builder. To be honest this activity was not fun but after I had completed the activity I truly realized the value of doing such a project. In the long run it was a valuable experience and I realized that technology can be included in this builder.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Solomon and Schrum (2007) state that, “A teacher who incorporates technology greatly expands the pool of resources, means of instructional presentation and support, and modes of product creation available to students, and is thus better equipped to meet varying student needs” (p. 219). The UDL should help teachers incorporates technology at every level to assist students who struggle with the traditional methods of instruction.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">When designing the lesson I had to think about all types of learners in the classroom and accommodate accordingly. The CAST UDL website has set a framework for planning to teach to a diverse group of students. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">References: Solomon, G. & Schrum, L. (2007) //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

[posted 3/18/12 by Stacey Matheson]

__**Week 4**__ “Technology integration is spreading like a computer virus” (Pitler, 2005).WOW!What a wonderful statement to say about a school.It’s exciting when schools are looking for ways on their own to integrate technology into the curriculum and create project after project for student engagement.My question is, “How can we as technology administrators, create this atmosphere?”Teachers should be trained on how to let students develop technology learning activities.Teachers should become more of a mentor to students and let them lead in the teaching as well. The McREL technology research data recommends that technology professional development focus on curriculum first and then technology. Once the teacher truly understands the curriculum and the best way they shoud teach it to students can they use technology as a tool.The research also focuses on peer coaching and the development of internet expertise.Teachers should allow for content learning and opportunities for collaborative work.When working in cooperative learning groups it is important that groups be rather small in size. Pitler, H. (2005). //McREL Technology Initiative: The Development of a Technology Intervention Program Final Report// (Contract Number ED-01-CO-006) Aurora, CO: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED486685) Retrieved from @http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED486685&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED486685 [posted 3/25/12 @ 3:51pm by Stacey Matheson]

__** Week 5 **__
 * Student effort, achievement and motivation is IMPORTANT!**

"when a student makes a connection between academic successes with factors outside of his or her control - things like heredity, gender, or race - it's easy to develop a defeatist attitude." (Pitler, 2007)

I believe Teachers should make every effort to reinforce student effort because it's the attitude of success. Good teachers should lead students to achievement and the desire to learn. But, as that sentence started, it takes a GOOD teacher to teach respect, motivation to do good and maintain a desire to learn. Technology is a great tool to use to help with feedback to students on their efforts but it works best if it is done quickly. Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Technology With Classroom Instruction That Works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 156-159 [posted 4/1/12 @ 10:30pm by Stacey Matheson]

__** Course Reflection: **__ EDLD 5364 – Teaching with Technology. This course not only showed students how to integrate technology but also gave us hands-on assignments of creating technology projects that could be used in a classroom. My group created a wiki named “Technology Emerge 21st”. [|https://sites.google.com/site/technologyemerge21st/] The wiki group members all believe in integrating technology into the classrooms. Emerging today’s classrooms with technology is a MUST. During the 5 week course my group worked and created a site with ideas for a science classroom. The team used Google Docs and email as the main means of communication.

A team edmodo project was created that showcased the team’s project direction. We were all trying to integrate technology into the science classroom with our project-based learning.

The CAST’s Universal Design for Learning site which help produce the book builder and lesson builder was new to me. In my opinion the book builder was not an easy hands-on tool for quick use. I’m afraid many teachers would not use the book builder because it does require a good amount of time. The book builder could be a wonderful tool for teachers is the program was friendlier. I’m also reminded of the statement from web 2.0 which says “As a teacher of technology has experienced, as soon as you learn a new tool and feel comfortable enough to begin teaching it in your classroom, that technology is old and you are moving on! Well, be brave and take a risk, our new digital learners have different strategies, different needs and totally different outcomes that Work! “(Solomon & Schrum, 2007) I know students would probably love creating their own books for others to see. The lesson builder was a wonderful tool and helps with lesson organization just as the CASTS UDL Curriculum Self Check. It was within the CASTS website that I was able to see other resources for students with special needs.

Solomon. G., & Schrum.L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.// Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

[posted 4/1/12 @ 11:14pm by Stacey Matheson]