Integrating Technology in Classrooms

I received the following request from a reader:

"I am a high school math teacher getting my CTE certification. The class I am taking is about integrating technology into our classrooms. I would be interested in hearing about some of your best ideas for doing this. "

Cutting edge technology 100 years ago was a blackboard and chalk. Then came the projector and overhead. Whiteboards broke onto the scene as the new revolution in learning. Enter the digital age. With the presentation projector and computers rampant, interactive whiteboards have become the norm in many schools. Technology, then, is really in the eye of the beholder. I truly believe that you can be just as amazing with chalk as you can with a podcast.

When it comes to integrating technology into a classroom, we must first acknowledge that there are many do's and don'ts that must be observed in order for the technology to be effective and educational.

DO:
-Ensure that you are comfortable with the technology being used. It will totally defeat the purpose of using technology if it is a hindrance to your lesson. If you are unsure of the features/controls practice using it after school or on your friends and family BEFORE using it in a lesson. Also, ask the teacher next door or down the hall for help.

- Have a purpose. If you are using a doc-cam just to impress your students, you have already lost the battle. Make the use meaningful.

- Search for great lesson plans and pre-made templates that will save you many hours. It is always easier to take another teacher's idea and tweak to fit your needs.

DON'T:
- Be afraid to try using the technology with students. The only way you will improve is to practice.

- Use technology as a way to avoid teaching a concept. Never will there ever be a better teacher than a living human being who can monitor and adjust as needed. Make sure you are using your technology as a resource/supplement rather than a substitute teacher.


And now, with that out of the way, let's look at some great ways to integrate technology in to our classrooms.

1) Because technology should enhance the lesson, not BE the lesson, its use should be subtle. When adding a video clip to your lesson (See previous post on YouTube.com) it should flow in your lesson. Video clips are a very powerful way to solidify concepts for students, not to mention attention getting.

2) Another great way to integrate technology is to invite students to create and present media based projects/products. Podcasting is a fantastic way for kids to express themselves as well as school friendly (the kids won't be seen visually and thus reduces liability). Kids can podcast stories for younger grades, teach a math concept, give school updates, or do interview based assignments. PowerPoint is a popular, and maybe overused way, for kids to integrate technology into their learning. Showing students how to embed video clips and sound bytes into their presentations will enliven them.

3) Wikispaces is another great way to integrate technology in the classroom. If you are a teacher or will use the wikispace for educational purposes you can get an ad free one (or 20 like me) for free. I use them for many, many reasons. Here are a few of mine to check out: BCE456, HughesClassroom, SummerReadingChallenge. I have also created a private wiki where I store video clips and sound bytes that I use frequently in my lessons. They are quite easy to use and have unlimited purposes. See my past post for more on Wikispaces.

4) If you have a SMARTBoard (or related interactive whiteboard) then you have hit the jackpot with integration. Setting up your initial lessons my be time consuming, but when you can pull up the lesson again next year (this is really helpful in math and science, where concepts remain fairly stable and unchanging) it is definitely worth the time. I haves scanned in countless pictures, poems, stories, examples and simply store them for future use. One warning: If your computer is going to be updated/replaced where you are storing your files, ensure you have made back-up copies of all your interactive board files.

This is a great list to get you started. If you have a more specific request on how to incorporate a specific type of technology, leave a comment and I will answer you.