Concepts and Techniques

Through this week’s reading we are once again provided with numerous ways to help our classrooms join the 21st century. While certain “old school” methods of teaching will always have a place in the curriculum, I think is imperative to allow “new school” technology an opportunity to transform our educational institutions. From test and rubric generators to student information systems, there are countless software supports that can be implemented into most of America’s classrooms. As educators, we all face the same challenge of making learning meaningful. In order to produce more meaningful instruction, we must find a way to create a more intriguing learning environment. Technology has become the catalyst to make this a reality.

Personally, I have found the addition of hypermedia to be extremely beneficial to my teaching experiences. It has not only allowed for a more interactive classroom environment, but has offered the students a more in depth and accurate look (especially visually) at history. The students in my class seem far more interested in the content and much more motivated when they can see history come alive. Hypermedia also gives them the opportunity to be creative and build valuable critical thinking skills that will benefit them in their years after high school. Our United States History Team recently purchased a new textbook and one of the deciding factors was whether or not it was accessible to students on-line. Not only can students access the textbook on-line, but the text includes various interactive maps, which helps detail important topics such as westward expansion and American industrial growth during the 20th century.

One area that I found intriguing in Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching was the portion discussing student-designed websites and mini-games. While I have not taken the advantage of this type of technology, I was rather drawn to it during the reading. It not only gives students ownership in the learning process, but also challenges them to create a complex and original product. Both of which are beneficial byproducts of today’s learning environment.

Software in Education

Instructional contemporary software can be an incredibly beneficial addition to the 21st century classroom. Not only does it allow students to learn about advancements in technology, but it offers an opportunity to master many of today’s technological challenges. As David Williamson Shaffer explains in the Schools Use of Games for Learning and Assessment video, we do not live in an industrial economy anymore, we live in a knowledge economy and we must adapt. If Shaffer is correct, which would be difficult to contest, then the process to build a more knowledge driven economy must begin within our schools. Naturally, this is what instructional contemporary software aims to achieve and we are shown this through two videos, Digital Youth Portrait: Sam and Schools Use of Games for Learning and Assessment.

Sam, through her digital portrait, represents today’s modern teenager, one that is not only dependent upon technology, but one that is driven by it as well. Whether she is logged on to her computer, listening to her IPOD, or using a video camera to complete a class project, she is engulfed by technology. In her portrait, she discusses a game called “World of War Craft”. While the graphics are incredibly advanced and sometimes distracting, the game itself teaches teenagers to compete, use strategy, and problem solve all at once.

“World of War Craft” is an ideal example of what 21st century technology can offer instruction and assessment in our classrooms. Teachers can use video games to make higher-order-learning far more realistic and meaningful. The United States Military, for example, incorporates Pulse, a game that uses virtual reality to simulate hands-on medical experiences. This allows students in the medical and/or military field to make necessary connections beyond the textbook, which is something that any teacher strives to achieve. As we are told in Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, educators cannot always give students access to the resources or situations that video simulations can.

While instructional contemporary software can be beneficial to most classrooms, it is also important to note the possible negative aspects of its implementation. Technology is a great educational tool, but it does have the natural tendency to hinder person-to-person contact. Children and teens tend to spend so much time invested in their computer that it often takes away from valuable social skills, which have become a corner stone in most successful careers.

TPACK and TIP in Education

As Roblyer and Doering point out in Integrating Educational Technology into Education, teaching is a complex combination of what teachers know about the content they teach and how they decide to teach that content. While content for certain subjects may change through time, the delivery process, or instruction, is an ever-changing affair. The tools available to teachers in the 1980’s were far superior to those of the 1950’s; just as today’s educational tools dwarf those at the end to the 20th century. Technology has created a seemingly never-ending chapter in the book of meaningful education. While some teachers still hesitate to accept the changes offered by technology, many have welcomed the challenges into their 21st century classrooms.

TPACK (or Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) aims to help bridge the gap between advancements in technology and teacher comprehension of existing technology. Through merging content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge, the teacher can create a more meaningful and engaging classroom environment. In addition to the TPACK model, the TIP model (or Technology Integration Planning) offers educators an approach to addressing the challenges that come with incorporating technology. By utilizing both models the teacher can not only identify his or her strengths and weaknesses, but can learn how to effectively integrate technology as well.

Personally, both models can be extremely beneficial to my classroom, especially when it comes to recognizing where and how I can improve technologically. While I am by no means a technology expert, I am extremely open to any new methods of instruction. Whether they come through technology or not, I think it is imperative to be critical of one’s own teaching. Once we recognize our weakness(s), which is what TPACK helps us achieve, we can then begin building a more credible learning environment. Through recognizing areas for improvement, we can start to use technology far more effectively. As Roblyer and Doering explain, we should not only be concerned with how to use technology, but how to use it successfully within our classrooms.

The Importance of Technology

Technology is of the utmost importance in any 21st century classroom. Not only does technology impact the educational lives of our students, but it follows them throughout their professional careers as well. Today’s society has become almost entirely dependent upon technology and we must prepare our students to survive in a computer driven culture.

As a social studies teacher, I make a constant effort to incorporate technology in to each of my lessons. While it may be a difficult task at times, it offers the students an opportunity to expand their horizons academically, as well as socially. Current events are a fundamental aspect of any government course. In my attempts to build student knowledge of local, state, and national policy, I aim to incorporate and utilize as many technological tools as possible. The more informed a student is about the political process, the better chance they have of contributing to their community in a positive and productive manner.

As an advocate of student-to-student interaction, I feel the integration of technology is a valuable tool to improve social skills (as informed citizens) and knowledge of American politics.