Reflecting on What I Know:: Chapter 2

How do I plan an integrated lesson that will work with my students?

Several things should be assessed when planning a lesson. These include how long the attention span of the students is (page 29) and acknowledging that not all objectives work with a computer (page 29). For the students in my licensure area (birth-kindergarten), they have pretty short attention spans. I would likely plan short lessons that might incorporate a video on the Smart Board, a game on the Smart Board, or doing some teacher led research on the internet to find out more about a topic.

Why do I need objectives to help with my planning and lesson development?

The textbook lists two different types of objectives, behavioral and cognitive (page 31). These two types of objectives help the students focus on what they should be learning and what the teacher is asking of them. Behavioral objectives help a student know what they should do and help the teacher identify the outcomes, and cognitive objectives help them determine what they should be learning.

How can I encourage my students to engage in the processing of information?

Through planning interactive and engaging lessons, teachers can help students to engage in the processing of information. As a teacher, one should engage in critical thought with their students on a regular basis to encourage them to think about what they are working on, and become better researchers.

Do I have to use a different lesson plan when I want my students to use computers?

When planning to use technology in a lesson, it helps to use an NTeQ model lesson plan. These help the teacher and students focus on the technology related goals that will be achieved through the lesson plan, and how the technology plays a role in achieving the desired results.

What is the relationship between objectives and computer functions?

Page 33 in the textbook helps us understand the relationship between objectives and computer functions. Once an objective is clearly stated, the process needed should be determined, and then matched with a computer program that can achieve those results.

Can you use a computer for every objective or lesson?

There are a wide variety of digital tools available for classroom use in today’s classrooms. There is likely a component of technology that can be integrated in to most lesson plans, but it is not necessary to incorporate it into each lesson plan. For my students in preschool and kindergarten, more learning is hands on through engaging with art, books, blocks, and through play vs. technology.

Lowther, D. L., & Morrison, G. R. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom: Skills for the 21st century. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Reflecting on What I Know: Chapter 5

How can I get my students to ask questions about the research they are conducting?

There are many methods outlined in chapter 5 of Lowther and Morrison's (2010) textbook helping future teachers understand how to get students to ask questions about the research they are conducting. These include think cycles, generative strategies, and think sheets (pages 125-126, 129, 131-132). Using these functions, students are able to focus in on what they are researching by coming up with questions such as what they already know, what they want to know, and then reflecting on what they learned during the research. These strategies help students stay focused and allows teachers to ask pointed, leading questions and provide an outline of what the students should be researching.

How can I teach my students to solve problems?

Helping students think critically and to solve their own problems is a big part of teaching. Teaching should not be based around providing students with the answers but equipping them to find their own answers. Using lesson plans to help students identify problems and then set them up in the lessons to find the answers using research could help students to learn this skill. Using skills like integration and organization will help students to focus in on their information and apply it to what they know and what they are researching now.

I’ve never used an inquiry-based approach, much less computers - so how is a teacher supposed to do both of these at one time?

Over time, these skills can be developed in a teacher and their classroom. No one who is new to technology will immediately figure it out, let alone how to integrate it into their teaching style and lesson plans. Through studying the technology and different lesson plans and strategies for incorporating it that are available for teachers to utilize will help teachers become familiar with how it works and how it can be applied into their lessons to help the students become critical researchers. Technology is a great tool to utilize to help students become better researchers and to help them solve problems, and it is one that teachers should try to take advantage of as much as possible.

Lowther, D. L., & Morrison, G. R. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom: Skills for the 21st century. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Assistive Technology

Sara Lynn Jennings

EDTC 5010 Section 602

Spring 2014

Assistive Technologies

Carl: limited speech and motor disabilities. Difficulty with fine motor skills, making writing almost impossible. He is also impeded in communications with his teachers and classmates.

The website www.rehabtool.com offers a product called Vocalize which helps people who are impaired in communication with others to use the computer software to help them communicate more effectively. I would recommend this or a similar software for Carl to use to help him communicate with his teachers and classmates. Another thing that Carl might benefit from are adaptive classroom items like pencil grips, adaptive scissors, etc. There are many of these items available to help students with fine motor skill difficulties.

Shawna: has limited vision. unable to see standard size letters and words

For Shawna, one of the items I would recommend that she have access to in her classroom is text-to-speech software, whether it be on a personal computer or a class computer. This would allow her to participate when books are read that could be read to her via computer, or assignments that are typed could be read to her so she could follow along. Another thing I would recommend for Shawna is using a small, portable magnifying glass, such as one that is available on http://www.freedomscientific.com. This would help Shawna be able to participate in reading assignments and to be able to follow along by seeing bigger images.

Serena: primary language is Spanish. struggling with reading assignments. Her parents speak no English

Depending on how old Serena is, she could utilize websites like www.eslcafe.com to study English through quizzes and activities on the website that help her with her English. Another website that is helpful for students http://www.englishclub.com/learn-english.htm which also has quizzes and stories for students to practice based on their grade level. There could also be some software available in her classroom that translates from Spanish in to English. There are also devices available such as The Talksystem (http://www.talktech.com) that translate what someone says in to headphones that another language speaker can listen to in their language.

Rehabtool (http://www.rehabtool.com/)

Dave’s ESL Cafe (http://www.eslcafe.com/)

RNIB (http://www.rnib.org.uk/)

Freedom Scientific (www.freedomscientific.com)

English Club (http://www.englishclub.com/learn-english.htm)

Chapter 3 Review

Why is it important to learn about different technology tools when they are constantly changing?

It is important to learn about different technology tools, even though they are constantly changing, because even if they make small changes, the basics will still be the same. Once you have a grasp on how various parts of technology work, it will make picking up on the changes that much easier. Figuring out how all the different parts of technology work together and relate to one another also helps in figuring out what pieces of technology are needed in your classroom. 

Most desktop computers to the same things as mobile devices, so why do teachers need to use both?

Even though desktop computers and mobile devices do a lot of the same things, there are a lot of things that a desktop computer can do that mobile devices can not. For many people, including many young children, it can be much easier to use a keyboard than to type on a mobile device. On the flipside, mobile devices can be used throughout classrooms and even taken outside to do research on the fly with children. They provide more access to opportunities for learning and make the internet a part of every day learning. 

How can the cost of digital devices be justified when the functions they perform are often limited in number and scope?

I think that allowing students the opportunity to explore many forms of digital devices opens them up to be more a part of society in the 21st century. Students who have access to various cameras, phones, Smart Board, keyboards, touch screen devices, and mouse operated computers early on in their education will be more ready to utilize these devices to help them succeed as they continue in their educational career. 

Reflecting on Chapter One

Must I use an inquiry-based learning approach in my classroom to use computers as a tool?

Chapter one in the textbook introduces the integrating technology for inquiry (NTeQ) model that has been uniquely crafted to enhance learning through technology in today’s schools. The five basic components of this philosophy are the teacher, the student, the computer, the lesson, and the learning environment (page 15). The outcomes for each of these elements listed are very desirable for a student’s educational journey. As far as how this NTeQ model directly should affect the student, they should be actively engaged in the learning process, assume the role of a researcher, and gain technological competence (pg. 19). It would be an excellent addition to student’s school career if they gained all these things from their time spent in the US education system.

Can I still use tutorials and drill-and-practice software?

Drill-and-practice software is a valid way for students to practice certain skills and gain reinforcement. It should not be the only method used to incorporate technology in to a classroom by any means, but it should not be ruled out altogether. Page 9 in the textbook describes drill-and-practice educational games as “based on a behavioral approach to teaching and emphasize rote memorization. This approach to using technology and software is inconsistent with current reform initiatives...the newer educational models encourage teachers to implement a student-centered approach in open-ended environments that engage collaborative groups of students in using technology to solve meaningful problems.” I agree with this analysis of how technology was used in the beginning years of it’s existence, and that it is an outdated method of teaching. It is much more important for students to be able to use their minds and creativity to work together and problem solve using technology to achieve that end. I believe that drill-and-practice software should be used minimally and only in certain circumstances, but that it could be used to achieve certain means in a classroom. 

Won’t I have to spend a great deal of time to develop these units of instruction?

Teachers who are competent in using the technology that is in their classroom will not have to spend a great deal of time developing lessons for adding technology to their instruction. There are plenty of tools already formed online and via software that teachers can implement, and once the technology is understood, it is easy to plan lessons to engage the students to “use technology to retrieve, evaluate, manipulate real world information to solve a meaningful problems” (pg. 4).

Won’t every student need a computer to use it as a tool?

In an ideal world, schools could provide each student a computer, or at least have a library with computers available to the students on a daily basis. Based on the reading in the chapter, it appears that this model is designed for students to work collaboratively on assignments and learn from one another in doing so. This would only require classrooms to have a few computers for students to use in groups. This is still a far cry form where classrooms in most schools in America are at these days, but it is not an ideal society. Money is not abundant where schools are concerned, and so hopefully one day students could learn in an environment where they would have access to more technology, but at the end of the day, people went through school their whole lives with no computers until a few years ago and are still competent, productive members of society who have adapted to using technology in their lives now.