Increasing Technology in the Classroom

Welcome to Mrs. Peña’s classroom blog!

Hi and thank you for visiting our classroom blog. Technology is making great advances and education is being greatly influenced. Your visit to the blog demonstrates the one of the advances technology is bringing to the classroom; better communication. As I’m sure, you have heard the Faculty Technology Committee would like to have the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) helps us out to raise funds for more computers and technology in the classroom. The PTA has had many successful fundraisers and their assistance will greatly benefit increasing the technology in the classroom. Please read on to learn how technology will benefit the learning of your child(ren).

We are aware of the concerns increasing technology has brought upon some of our parents and we have created this blog to keep you informed of how technology is used and can be used to provide a more enriched learning experience for your children. Many children have at least one video game at home and many parents are concerned that increasing exposure to this type of medium will result in a decrease in learning but a lot of research has proved otherwise. According to the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET), “technology improves performance when used in environments where teachers, the school community, and school and district administrators support the use of technology.” Student performance increases if we all work and support each other in using it appropriately. This is based on a study done in New Jersey where standardized test scores increased in writing and math when instruction incorporated technological applications. CARET has done extensive research into the effects of technology in the classroom. They have also found improvement in student performance when technology application directly supports the curriculum objectives. Technology in the classroom will be focused on learning, fun may come from the interaction but we are looking to improve their learning experiences through the addition of technology. One of the most important findings of CARET is an improvement in student motivation, attitude and interest when challenging, game-like programs and technology applications designed to develop basic skills and knowledge are used in the classroom. In addition, the numerous advances we see in technology make it evident that an understanding and ability to use technology will be vital in many future careers. By including technology in the classroom, students will have the opportunity to be exposed to and learn the applications of technology that will greatly influence their ability to perform such tasks in the workforce.

Learning occurs in many different formats, the best method for teaching a concept depends on what the concept is and what students need to be able to do. Two important theories in my classroom are the cognitive-behavioral theory and the discovery learning theory. Depending on the lesson, it may be best to follow specific instructional events while on other occasions it may be more beneficial for students to discover the knowledge on their own through research. Cognitive-behavioral theory was developed by Robert Gagne; he believed that “learning was most efficient when it was supported by a well-designed system of instruction” (Roblyer and Doering 2010). This theory holds that instruction should be structured and sequential with continual student monitoring throughout the lesson. Gagne’s events of instruction can be used to plan direct instruction; direct instruction works well in my classroom for learning new skills and information I want students to be able to perform. When the lesson does not include learning new skills but just acquiring new knowledge, I tend to prefer for students to carry out a discovery learning type of instruction.

Discovery learning has students take a more active role in the learning process. This theory was developed by Jerome Bruner, he felt that the more responsibility students were given for their learning, the more likely students would understand and remember material by exploring and recognizing relationships. In my classroom, a topic or concept is presented and students are given resources to explore and discover the topic/concept; it is important to provide structure to the exploration to ensure that students remain on task. Students are allowed to make their own connections and are more likely to remember the information as they work together to create the product.

Implementing these theories in my classroom would be greatly impacted with the addition of technology. Three items that would assist in better planning instruction to execute these theories are a promethean board with activotes, a set of classroom laptops and wireless internet. A promethean board is an interactive whiteboard that displays the screen of my computer. It would allow for presenting material in an engaging manner, I am able to carry out any computer application (animations, visuals, quick searches, video clips) that my computer can, more importantly it would allow me to spend more time focused on my students and their progress than writing the information or controlling an overhead and television. I would be able to present multimedia lectures without time-consuming switching between media. The activotes allow for quick monitoring of student progress; each student has an assigned activote which has multiple choice buttons, I can ask a question and students are able to respond immediately. I am then able to see the results on the screen and address any issues or misconceptions before moving on. Both of these would be very advantageous in teaching according to the cognitive-behavioral theory. I am able to assess prerequisite skills, present material and assess students’ skill level all while providing instruction then get instant feedback and provide students with a lesson based on the skills they need.

The other two technologies would be very helpful in application and exploration of learning. A set of laptops that could be shared throughout the junior high classrooms would be invaluable. Now, this must seem much easier to accomplish than one set per classroom; being a small junior high we are able to share the class-set without much trouble. The laptops would only be slightly helpful without the addition of wireless internet. A laptop per student during a period allows each individual to interact with the technology and gain experience, better yet, they are able to each take on a different roles in researching a new topic and are able to do more research than one computer per group. They would be able to research and create at the same time. This would be a great addition for our Solar System Brochure project. We would be able to stay in class and work around our lab tables instead of trying to find an available slot in the computer lab. Students would be assigned a planet and given the requirements of the assignment with suggested websites; but they would have the opportunity to explore and learn about their planet. This is just one instance that this technology would be helpful; it is a great way to allow for discovery learning in my science classroom. Students would be able to take an active role and research using the internet and interacting with activities to learn about science.

I hope that after reading you have realized how helpful increasing technology would be to the success of your child(ren) in the classroom. The addition of a promethean board, laptops and wireless internet are just the beginning; technology is more than just video games, it can assist us in providing an engaging and interactive learning experience for your child(ren) that will result in increased motivation, attitude and interest in learning. I hope that this blog will increase your awareness and motivation to increase technology in our classrooms, most importantly, I hope that we are able to begin open communication in regards to any concerns and comments you may still have. Please feel free to post any comments and concerns, I will do my best to answer and provide any additional information. Also, please make sure to voice your opinion about the PTA assisting our efforts at the next PTA meeting, the more we push for assistance the more progress we will make to getting some of the technology in our classrooms.

Thanks!
Mrs. Peña

References
Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology. (2005) Questions and Answers: Student Learning. Retrieved January 8, 2010 from http://caret.iste.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=questions&topicID=1

Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2010). Discovery Learning (Bruner) at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010 from http://www.learning-theories.com/discovery-learning-bruner.html

Kruse, K. Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction. Retrieved January 8, 2010 from http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art3_3.htm .

Roblyer, M.D. and Doering, A. (2010) Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. (5th Ed). Pearson Education, Inc.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University. It is not a real fundraising blog.