Technology

1. Technology Tools for Change

2. Module Objectives • Describe change including technology and how it affects the classroom. • Explain how technology can motivate learners. • Give examples of how technology advances can break down many types of educational barriers. • Describe how the use of technology enables unique instructional capabilities. • Describe instructional changes that can occur with the addition of technology to the classroom.

3. Technology:Tools for Change • Change is a possible outcome of learning. • Change is inevitable in society, work environments, and classrooms. • Change is rarely easy.

4. Technology: Tools for Change Educational Technologists face many challenging issues as they strive to promote systemic change in the educational environment while breaking down the barriers.

5. Educational Technology Educational Technology is “a combination of the processes and tools involved in addressing educational needs and problems, with an emphasis on applying the most current tools: computers and their related technologies.” (M. D. Roblyer, 2000)

6. Technology Use in the Classroom Can: • Motivate student’s learning. • Remove societal barriers. • Provide unique instructional strategies. • Encourage life-learning skills.

7. Motivating Learners Student’s perception of themselves as being in control of their own learning can be intrinsically motivating for most students.

8. Motivating Learners Technology’s visual and interactive characteristics capture and hold students’ attention which is essential for effective instruction. See Motivation through ICT in Featured Links.

9. Motivating Learners Technology can engage the learner throughout a longer time span, such as the “production” process of creating, editing, illustrating and publishing a story. Students’ pride in final polished products is often evident.

10. Breaking Down Barriers Technology can provide resources and alternatives for overcoming many barriers to learning. • Presenting information differently. • Re-teaching lessons or specific skills. • Providing enrichment activities. Lessonplansearch is just one of hundreds of available lesson plan resources for technology integration. See Featured Links.

11. Breaking Down Barriers Technology use can bridge learning gaps caused by: • Special needs • Gender • Socio-economic • Distance • Cultural • Language

12. Breaking Down Barriers Technological advances can provide powerful assistance for special needs students allowing them increased class participation and peer interaction. Watch a screen reader demonstration presented by Pat Sheehan of U. S. Veteran’s Affairs Office.See Featured Links.

13. Breaking Down Special Needs Barriers “[Technology] is an enabling tool – allowing [special needs students] to function as other students without the barriers that their handicaps impose.” (M. D. Roblyer, 2000) See Computers for People with Special Needs in Featured Links.

14. Breaking Down Special Needs Barriers Many of today’s current and emerging technologies were developed as adaptive or assistive technology. Examples • Joysticks • Voice Recognition Software • Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

15. Breaking Down Cultural Barriers Technology use allows students to: • Freely exchange ideas and experiences.

16. Breaking Down Cultural Barriers Technology use allows students to: • Freely exchange ideas and experiences. • Create and build a variety of multicultural relationships.

17. Breaking Down Cultural Barriers Technology use allows students to: • Freely exchange ideas and experiences. • Create and build a variety of multicultural relationships. • Develop global understanding and friendships.

18. Breaking Down Distance Barriers Technology use can link isolated, rural areas to many different communities of learners making available many new opportunities. See Equity in Featured Links

19. Breaking Down Distance Barriers The use of e-mail in the classroom can connect learners from around the world overcoming time and distance. TEACHING TIP: When introducing this activity to your students, a quick response from e-mail partners is desirable. Initially, choose correspondents to the north or south but within your same time zone. Communicate with your distant partners before getting your class involved.

20. Breaking DownDistance Barriers Internet resources are available to educators interested in integrating electronic pen pals or “e-pals” into the curriculum. Many matching sites include: • Moderated discussion boards. • Monitored emails. • Language translation capability. • Lesson ideas. See ePALS in Featured Links and Electronic Communities in Supporting Material.

21. Breaking Down Gender Barriers Recent research provides conflicting information about the narrowing of the technology gender gap. See the Cyber Sisters Club article from T.H.E. Journalin Featured Links and other articles on the Digital Equity page in Supporting Material.

22. Breaking DownCultural Barriers Communication with people with culturally diverse backgrounds can spark learning on a variety of topics in content areas. Cultural exchanges also give ESL and bilingual students an opportunity to contribute personal experience in the classroom.

23. Breaking Down Barriers By enhancing students’ communication opportunities, technology use in the classroom has the potential to reduce socio-economic, ethnic and cultural barriers through increased multicultural awareness. Closing the Equity Gap in Technology Access and Use provides hints for educators and is in Featured Links.

24. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Linking learners at distant locations with each other and with a variety of online resources can both support instruction and enhance learning.(U.S. News and World Report, 1993; Marcus, 1995)

25. UniqueInstructional Capabilities A hypertext learning environment: • Calls on and develops new text skills.

26. UniqueInstructional Capabilities A hypertext learning environment: • Calls on and develops new text skills. • Assists readers to build links among texts.

27. UniqueInstructional Capabilities A hypertext learning environment: • Calls on and develops new text skills. • Assists readers to build links among texts. • Constructs meaning based onhyperlink relationships.

28. UniqueInstructional Capabilities A hypertext learning environment: • Calls on and develops new text skills. • Assists readers to build links among texts. • Constructs meaning based onhyperlink relationships. • Helps learners visualize problems and solutions.

29. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Interactive visual media provides a powerful means of “representing social situations and tasks such as interpersonal problem solving, foreign language learning, or moral decision making.” (Kozma, 1991)

30. UniqueInstructional Capabilities The Internet can connect users to invaluable resources such as: • Up-to-date data for local, national and international topics. • Breaking developments in current research. • Content area experts from around the world. See the Electronic Emissaryin Featured Links..

31. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Students can develop problem solving and critical thinking skills by: • Learning to locate and synthesize data. • Evaluating information and its source. • Conducting written or oral personal interviews. • Communicating information or results to others.

32. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use in the classroom supports: • Cooperative learning.

33. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use in the classroom supports: • Cooperative learning. • Participation of teachers as learners in the classroom.

34. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use in the classroom supports: • Cooperative learning. • Participation of teachers as learners in the classroom. • Peer mentoring.

35. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use in the classroom supports: • Cooperative learning. • Participation of teachers as learners in the classroom. • Peer mentoring. • Shared or distributed intelligence.

36. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use in the classroom supports: • Cooperative learning. • Participation of teachers as learners in the classroom. • Peer mentoring. • Shared or distributed intelligence. • Linking with collaborators from around the world.

37. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use also supports different instructional approaches: • Development of problem solving and higher order, critical thinking skills.

38. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use also supports different instructional approaches: • Development of problem solving and higher order, critical thinking skills. • Curriculum integration through the use of thematic units.

39. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use also supports different instructional approaches: • Development of problem solving and higher order, critical thinking skills. • Curriculum integration through the use of thematic units. • Subject area experts providing theirtime and talents.

40. UniqueInstructional Capabilities Technology use also supports different instructional approaches: • Development of problem solving and higher order, critical thinking skills. • Curriculum integration through the use of thematic units. • Subject area experts providing their time and talents. • Learning to learn skills that prepare students for experiences beyond theclassroom.

41. Learning to Learn Technology in the classroom can simulate a professional work environment by preparing students with the tools, terminology, networking and group communications skills necessary for their future.

42. Learning to Learn Good communication and presentation skills, both oral and written, are essential for all learners. • One to one • Part of a group • To an audience • At a distance

43. Learning to Learn Engaging students by allowing students to • Select a topic for research. • Gather information and data. • Work with the problem. • Present their ideas and findings to others.

44. Learning to Learn The use of visual and auditory media enhances the message. • Digital graphics and animation • Digital video • Multimedia • Music • Other forms of digital audio

45. Learning to Learn Technology in the classroom provides learners an opportunity to discover their own creativity, develop their own ideas and produce their own resources, and present them to others.

46. Learning to Learn “The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Alvin Toffler

47. Changing Classrooms Traditional ways of teaching must change: • Teachers can no longer be the “Sage on the Stage.”

48. Changing Classrooms Traditional ways of teaching must change: • Teachers can no longer be the “Sage on the Stage.” • A “Guide on the Side” is not enough either.

49. Changing Classrooms A “Vet in the Net” Teachers must be willing to be a partner in the learning environment, an adult or “veteran” learner participating with students and other teachers to form an educational network.

50. Changing Classrooms Technology is a tool that can promote many changes throughout the educational system by using unique characteristics to motivate students and break down traditional barriers.