Month: January 2009

Categories
ETEC533 Module A: Framing Issues

New Perspectives on Educational Technology Integration

     After completing my interview and then reading and reflecting on those of my peers, my thoughts on technology integration in education (T.I.) have changed somewhat.  I used to think that T.I. was something that proactive teachers should attempt in an urge to stay on the cutting edge of education.  I’m now starting to think that the advancement of technology is inevitable, and rather than applauding those who choose to fight to include technology it is something that should be more mandatory. I do not think that teachers should be forced to change their style of teaching, but the fact remains that our students are becoming more and more tech-savvy and to not choose to teach them in the language they are most comfortable with (technology) is doing a disservice to them.

 

            Considering how essential I’m starting to think T.I. is quickly becoming to teaching, it is vital that we improve the manor in which we educate teachers on this topic.  Pre-service programs need to include courses that both teach how to use the programs AND how teachers can effectively integrate these programs into their teaching.  Providing some pre-made teaching resources so that teachers can have the chance to experience success with these techniques without the requirement of a tonne of effort on their part would help to show the reluctant teachers how valuable technology can be.

 

            I found it interesting that none of the interviewee’s held negative viewpoints about technology.  Some were concerned about wasted time due to technical glitches, but all could see the value in this resource.  I would be interested to discover if there is any research showing the superiority of tech-inclusive teaching styles to those that do not include any tech content.

Categories
ETEC533 Module A: Framing Issues

My Interview Analysis

Educational Technology Interview Analysis

Interviewee Introduction: The subject of this interview is a young teacher in the subjects of junior science and senior chemistry. She teaches in a moderate to large sized school (aprx. 1820 students) and is in her 5th year of teaching.

Interview Set-up: This interview was conducted over the internet via instant messenger. I spoke with the interview subject on the telephone prior to the interview and again after the interview was complete. Those audio conversations will not be transcribed here as they simple included an explanation of why this interview was being conducted and a heartfelt thank you for assisting with this assignment. The interview lasted approximately 25 minutes.

Interview Excerpt:

Analysis:

Q: 1 Do you use technology in your science classroom?

A: Yes. I use power point presentations, projectors, wikis, blogs, Google documents and Youtube. Do you mean hardware or software?

When asked about the use of technology, the interview subject clearly felt that “technology” referred to computer-related applications. She described a wide range of computer-related applications that are utilized in her classroom. The final question she asks the interviewer further shows how her belief of “technology” focuses on computer technology.

Q: 2 Do you believe the use of technology is beneficial to student learning?

A: When I use technology in the classroom the level of motivation and engagement in my students increases dramatically. Even a clip on Youtube engages students a lot more than any other traditional methods of teaching. Also, I personally believe that we are teaching a new generation [of students] that are driven by multimedia. The use of technology changes the [merely] compliant students to active learners

The interviewee has a strong belief that technology increases engagement and motivation in her students. She has found that students who merely go through the motions become active learners through the use of technology.

Q: 3 Please tell me about your most successful lesson using technology and why you believe it worked so well.

A: I celebrated mole day with my students this year using multimedia. They all had to make a movie about the concept ‘mole’. They made fun and exciting clips and uploaded them to Youtube. Everyone was engaged and excited about the mole and mole day project. I even had requests from students who were not even in chemistry wanting to come in to watch the films with my students on mole day. The learning [and] sharing that went on that day far exceed my expectations.

The lesson was clearly engaging, not only for her students but for other students in the school as well. This is a great example of how technology can make a difficult subject accessible to many different students.

Q: 6 Have you received support from your school or school board in your attempt to integrate technology into your classroom? In what way?

A: NO…and yes. I’ve asked for a ‘Smartboard’ for two years now, I even have research on its benefits. However, due to funding issues they weren’t able to get me the Smartboard. I got a projector for my room…. however, this didn’t come from the school board, it came from a grant we received. The school board does not give you the $ for the things you want to use in the classroom, especially if it’s a new technology it would be the last thing on their list or it seems like it.

It is clear that the teacher is frustrated with the lack of support from her school board. She has researched the benefits of the technology she is requesting, but has found it necessary to find her own sources of funding for the equipment she wishes to purchase.

Q: 7 Did you receive training in the use of educational technologies during your pre-service teaching program? Was it beneficial?

A: I did receive some training in the use of educational technologies. It was not really realistic [as] they had a class set of lab tops (probes) and computers. It was done in an ideal setting, which does not exist in [the] public system

Some technology instruction was included in her teacher-training; however it is not applicable to a real-world situation. The program may have shown how to run a technology dependant lab when all students have access to equipment, but this doesn’t translate to the teacher’s real-life situation of a lack of access to technology.

Q: 8 Has the integration of technology made your job as a teacher easier or harder? Please explain your answer.

A: I think it made it easier or at least more efficient. As a teacher you want your students to be motivated and engaged. With the integration of technology, it was easier to have my students motivated and excited about the course. I think because of that it (my job) was better; however, booking the lab and learning the technology myself took some time

Although it required some time to familiarize herself with the technology, the teacher feels that incorporating these devices has made her job “more efficient” and has benefited her students.

Final question: Overall, do you think it is beneficial to incorporate new technologies into the classroom and why?

A: I personally believe that incorporating new technologies into the classroom is necessary. I think by not integrating technology into the classroom, we are not really thinking about our students and the best way for them to have meaningful learning. I think especially with the tools and applications of web 2.0, the integration and use of technologies got so much easier and better for everyone. I think if we really want to be a better teacher and better educator we must integrate technologies into the classroom for the new generations of students who are wired differently than the students from 50 years ago. Some of the teachers are still teaching the same way as they did 20, 30, 40, 50 even 60 years ago. We need to realize that the students now are different than students then, and we should do what we need to do to make it better for students to learn.

This teacher has a clear opinion that the incorporation of technology into the classroom has moved beyond the “is it helpful” stage to the “it is necessary” stage. She believes that she is better able to motivate her students when she utilizes technology and that it helps them become more active learners. It is clear that she feels this is the direction education is heading in, and teachers should incorporate technology to allow them to better relate to their students.

Categories
ETEC533 Module A: Framing Issues

Thoughts on Good Use of Tech in Science Class

To me, good use of technology in the math and/or science classroom occurs when the technology serves to enhance a students learning experience without undue difficulty in mastering the technology and without drawing away from necessary knowledge. An example of this would be the use of digital probes and computers in the chemistry lab.

The computers and probes allow the students to more easily manipulate the data they collect from the laboratory experiments. The process of graphing data is a skill learned in both math and science, so the substitution of a computer program for the time students may spend graphing by hand makes sense when the students have already clearly shown a mastery of these skills.

The digital probes allow for a more accurate reading of experimental data than is possible with analogue probes, and the ease of use of this technology allows students to gather a greater amount of data in the same amount of time.

Students can quickly and clearly visualize the effect of adding chemicals to their experiments, as computers can be programmed to automatically graph data as it is recorded. This creates a clear relationship to students between the physical reaction of the chemicals and the theories they’ve learned in class.

The main drawback to this type of technology is cost. While students can quickly learn to use the probes and graphing programs, the equipment is not cheap and unfortunately, it is very easy to break probes through improper use or storage. Hopefully, as technology advances this equipment will become more affordable and durable.

Categories
Module A: Framing Issues

Steffanie’s Auto e-ography

One of my first memories of technology use in school was in elementary school in an intermediate grade (I don’t remember which one) when my teacher would bring out the big tote of calculators. I remember vividly that we weren’t allowed to use them until we had passed a myriad of tests proving our proficiency with our multiplication tables. I remember being so excited to use the calculators until I realized that it took me longer to solve my math equations using the calculator as I had to take the time to punch in the numbers!

That memory conflicts strongly with the situations I have experienced in my own classroom where I ask students to complete simple calculations in the process of solving a chemistry problem (something such as 40/10 ) and they instinctively reach for their calculators rather than performing the mental calculation! I find it alarming how drastically some of the basic math skills seem to have deteriorated in students as they become more and more reliant on their calculators.

Another early memory of technology involves the first computer my parents bought. I don’t remember what type it was, but I was 9 or 10 when they brought it home, it took up most of my Dad’s desk and was super noisy when it was turned on. I wasn’t able to do much on it without my parents help, as I didn’t understand the DOS commands, but my sister and I had great fun playing around with some simple educational games. We would challenge each other with typing speed tests, and I remember the day I beat both my parents in typing speed, I felt so grown up!

From those days of asking for assistance with computer technology things have revolved 180 degrees. I am now the person my entire family calls for advice when their digital technologies (from cell phones to computers) glitch. I now find that technology has moved beyond the novelty stage to become something that really does assist me and make my life simpler.

Spam prevention powered by Akismet