Integrating Emerging Technology into the Curriculum
by
Megan C. Murtaugh
by
Megan C. Murtaugh
The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) originated during the 2005-2006 school year and was created through funding by the No Child Left Behind Act (Florida Center for Instructional Technology, 2011). TIM is a graphic representation of the characteristics of the learning environment and of the technology integration level used by educators in K-12 classrooms. Levels of technology integration use range from entry level on the left side of the table to transformation level on the right side. Active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal directed are five characteristics of the learning environment included in the matrix (FCIT, 2011). Descriptions for each of the cells in the TIM along with a video example are available on the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) website (http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php).
The purpose of this article is to identify the current level of technology integration in the classroom, to select a higher level of technology integration to work towards, to describe a lesson that will address the integration goal, and to provide a timeline for reaching the technology integration goal. In the following sections, the TIM guided the assessment of the current level of technology use in the classroom and provided an example for achieving the proposed goal. The writer reviewed literature relevant to the integration of technology in the classroom as part of the process for selecting an appropriate goal for technology integration.
Assessment of Current Technology Use in the Curriculum
The population in the target classroom consists of five first-grade students identified as gifted and talented. These students receive supplemental instruction to the curriculum provided in their regular education classrooms by attending a pull out resource classroom once per week. These students have been learning about life cycles of animals with a specific focus on butterflies. Students watched videos streamed from the Internet to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, listened to literature books read aloud by their regular education teachers, and read stories independently.
Using the TIM, the current level of technology use falls into the C1 cell. The characteristic of the learning environment represented by C is Constructive. The aim of the constructive cell is for students to be in control of the technology tools used for learning in the classroom (FCIT, 2011). Placement in this cell also indicated an entry level of technology integration into the curriculum. At the entry level, educators use technology only to share content knowledge with students.
Goal for Future Technology Use in the Classroom
The goal of integrating technology use in the classroom progresses from entry level to transformation level with the focus of technology use switching from the teacher to the student. Therefore, for this assignment the goal for the integration of technology use in the classroom will focus on C5 for the target population of students. At the C5 level, students share their knowledge on a global level outside the walls of their classrooms. An example provided on the FCIT website demonstrated students using technology tools to share information about sound with a larger audience by creating and publishing podcasts on their school website.
Literature Review
A study by Gorder (2008) revealed educators primarily used technology for passive student learning. Results also suggested that high school educators were more likely to integrate technology use with students than educators in elementary or middle school. Of particular interest is the statement that educators needed to see examples of technology integration in order to understand how they themselves could implement the use of technology in their classrooms. The Technology Integration Matrix (FCIT, 2011), discussed above, provides this resource for educators. Educators can view examples of technology integration at all levels for different subject areas such as mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts.
Davies (2011) stated educators and students needed to be comfortable with technology before it could be used as a tool for learning in the classroom. Students should have opportunities to practice using the technology tools available in the classroom before they are expected to use them to demonstrate learning. Guided practice was recommended over discovery learning as the most effective way for students to learn how to use technology tools. Clark, Kirschner, and Sweller (2012) also proposed guided practice over discovery learning for novice learners. The students involved for this technology integration plan are novice learners. Therefore, guided practice for technology integration is appropriate for the learners. Davies (2011) concluded an analysis of the technology selected for integration and educators should consider whether it was appropriate for the learning outcomes.
Description of the Technology Integration Plan
As part of the learning experience for this lesson, students will document the lifecycle of a butterfly from egg to adult using multiple technology tools. Students will have access to digital video cameras, editing software, word processing and spreadsheet software to maintain data about their observations. After data collection, students will work collaboratively to create a podcast on the lifecycle of a butterfly. Students will share the podcast by publishing it on the school website for viewing by a global audience similar to the example shown in the video on the FCIT website.
This technology integration activity will address various standards required for student learning. The activity covers all six National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S). They will be creative and innovative through the planning and production of a podcast. Students will communicate and collaborate with their group and a global audience through this learning experience. It is possible that students will use technology tools to research additional information about butterfly lifecycles therefore they may learn ethical ways to use the information retrieved online and how to be responsible digital citizens. Each student will use critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making skills to create an educational podcast. Student use and understanding of technology will improve with every step of the learning experience.
Timeline
This technology integration project will commence in January when the students return from winter break. At that time, all first-grade classrooms will receive host plants with butterfly eggs attached. Gifted students will document observations every morning during the transformational process. They may use cameras and input measurements or written descriptions into digital tools such as Microsoft Word or Excel. Estimation for the length of the data collection period is approximately one month. Once data collection is complete, students in the gifted class will use the data to create an educational podcast. Students will start by making storyboards to plan the podcast using drawings and text to chart the information they will include in the podcast. After the group has submitted the storyboard for approval, they will begin the editing process. Gifted students attend resource instruction once per week. This will influence the length of time necessary for students to complete the podcast. The target publishing date will be the first week of May. This gives 2 extra weeks for fine-tuning if necessary before the end of the school year. In addition to publishing the podcast to the school website, students will submit the podcast to the morning news program at the school for viewing by the entire student body.
Conclusion
For this assignment, a self-assessment was conducted using the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) to determine the level of current use in the classroom. Using the TIM a goal was selected to raise the level of technology integration in a gifted first-grade resource education class. The writer discussed a description of the plan for reaching the technology integration goal and a timeline to illustrate when the goal would be achieved. The TIM offers educators a tool to evaluate their use of technology in the classroom. Specific examples provided on the Florida Center for Instructional Technology website allow educators to pinpoint where they fall on the TIM. These videos also provide a glimpse for educators into how technology can be integrated in classrooms with various grade levels.
References
Clark, R. E., Kirschner, P. A., & Sweller, J. (2012). Putting students on the path to learning: The case for fully guided instruction. American Educator, 36(1), 6-11. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/spring2012/ Clark.pdf
Davies, R. S. (2011). A framework for evaluating educational technology integration. TechTrends, 55(5), 45-52.
Gorder, L. M. (2008). A study of teacher perceptions of instructional technology integration in the classroom. The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, L(2), 63-76.
International Society for Technology Education (2007). National educational technology standards for students (NETS-S) Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-s-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Florida Center for Instructional Technology (2011). Technology Integration Matrix. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/
The purpose of this article is to identify the current level of technology integration in the classroom, to select a higher level of technology integration to work towards, to describe a lesson that will address the integration goal, and to provide a timeline for reaching the technology integration goal. In the following sections, the TIM guided the assessment of the current level of technology use in the classroom and provided an example for achieving the proposed goal. The writer reviewed literature relevant to the integration of technology in the classroom as part of the process for selecting an appropriate goal for technology integration.
Assessment of Current Technology Use in the Curriculum
The population in the target classroom consists of five first-grade students identified as gifted and talented. These students receive supplemental instruction to the curriculum provided in their regular education classrooms by attending a pull out resource classroom once per week. These students have been learning about life cycles of animals with a specific focus on butterflies. Students watched videos streamed from the Internet to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, listened to literature books read aloud by their regular education teachers, and read stories independently.
Using the TIM, the current level of technology use falls into the C1 cell. The characteristic of the learning environment represented by C is Constructive. The aim of the constructive cell is for students to be in control of the technology tools used for learning in the classroom (FCIT, 2011). Placement in this cell also indicated an entry level of technology integration into the curriculum. At the entry level, educators use technology only to share content knowledge with students.
Goal for Future Technology Use in the Classroom
The goal of integrating technology use in the classroom progresses from entry level to transformation level with the focus of technology use switching from the teacher to the student. Therefore, for this assignment the goal for the integration of technology use in the classroom will focus on C5 for the target population of students. At the C5 level, students share their knowledge on a global level outside the walls of their classrooms. An example provided on the FCIT website demonstrated students using technology tools to share information about sound with a larger audience by creating and publishing podcasts on their school website.
Literature Review
A study by Gorder (2008) revealed educators primarily used technology for passive student learning. Results also suggested that high school educators were more likely to integrate technology use with students than educators in elementary or middle school. Of particular interest is the statement that educators needed to see examples of technology integration in order to understand how they themselves could implement the use of technology in their classrooms. The Technology Integration Matrix (FCIT, 2011), discussed above, provides this resource for educators. Educators can view examples of technology integration at all levels for different subject areas such as mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts.
Davies (2011) stated educators and students needed to be comfortable with technology before it could be used as a tool for learning in the classroom. Students should have opportunities to practice using the technology tools available in the classroom before they are expected to use them to demonstrate learning. Guided practice was recommended over discovery learning as the most effective way for students to learn how to use technology tools. Clark, Kirschner, and Sweller (2012) also proposed guided practice over discovery learning for novice learners. The students involved for this technology integration plan are novice learners. Therefore, guided practice for technology integration is appropriate for the learners. Davies (2011) concluded an analysis of the technology selected for integration and educators should consider whether it was appropriate for the learning outcomes.
Description of the Technology Integration Plan
As part of the learning experience for this lesson, students will document the lifecycle of a butterfly from egg to adult using multiple technology tools. Students will have access to digital video cameras, editing software, word processing and spreadsheet software to maintain data about their observations. After data collection, students will work collaboratively to create a podcast on the lifecycle of a butterfly. Students will share the podcast by publishing it on the school website for viewing by a global audience similar to the example shown in the video on the FCIT website.
This technology integration activity will address various standards required for student learning. The activity covers all six National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S). They will be creative and innovative through the planning and production of a podcast. Students will communicate and collaborate with their group and a global audience through this learning experience. It is possible that students will use technology tools to research additional information about butterfly lifecycles therefore they may learn ethical ways to use the information retrieved online and how to be responsible digital citizens. Each student will use critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making skills to create an educational podcast. Student use and understanding of technology will improve with every step of the learning experience.
Timeline
This technology integration project will commence in January when the students return from winter break. At that time, all first-grade classrooms will receive host plants with butterfly eggs attached. Gifted students will document observations every morning during the transformational process. They may use cameras and input measurements or written descriptions into digital tools such as Microsoft Word or Excel. Estimation for the length of the data collection period is approximately one month. Once data collection is complete, students in the gifted class will use the data to create an educational podcast. Students will start by making storyboards to plan the podcast using drawings and text to chart the information they will include in the podcast. After the group has submitted the storyboard for approval, they will begin the editing process. Gifted students attend resource instruction once per week. This will influence the length of time necessary for students to complete the podcast. The target publishing date will be the first week of May. This gives 2 extra weeks for fine-tuning if necessary before the end of the school year. In addition to publishing the podcast to the school website, students will submit the podcast to the morning news program at the school for viewing by the entire student body.
Conclusion
For this assignment, a self-assessment was conducted using the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) to determine the level of current use in the classroom. Using the TIM a goal was selected to raise the level of technology integration in a gifted first-grade resource education class. The writer discussed a description of the plan for reaching the technology integration goal and a timeline to illustrate when the goal would be achieved. The TIM offers educators a tool to evaluate their use of technology in the classroom. Specific examples provided on the Florida Center for Instructional Technology website allow educators to pinpoint where they fall on the TIM. These videos also provide a glimpse for educators into how technology can be integrated in classrooms with various grade levels.
References
Clark, R. E., Kirschner, P. A., & Sweller, J. (2012). Putting students on the path to learning: The case for fully guided instruction. American Educator, 36(1), 6-11. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/spring2012/ Clark.pdf
Davies, R. S. (2011). A framework for evaluating educational technology integration. TechTrends, 55(5), 45-52.
Gorder, L. M. (2008). A study of teacher perceptions of instructional technology integration in the classroom. The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, L(2), 63-76.
International Society for Technology Education (2007). National educational technology standards for students (NETS-S) Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-s-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Florida Center for Instructional Technology (2011). Technology Integration Matrix. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/
