Student+Engagement+Through+Technology

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY: __Description of Product__ : After completing the assignments in the initial weeks of the course, you should have a good foundation of what technology integration entails and can "look like." Instructional Applications of Technology (our course title) is an equivalent phrase to technology integration and instructional technology. The simplest "definition" is using technology to achieve an instructional objective or outcome. This can be as simple as a drill and practice program where the learner develops a specific skill, such as, arithmetic facts or multiplication facts to more complex simulation and graphing software where higher order thinking skills are used to solve complex mathematical equations in authentic problem solving. Notice that both examples had students using technology. Student use is the goal of building out the infrastructure and placing computers (technology) in our schools. The No Child Left Behind law includes Enhancing Education Through Technology (Title II, Part D). The primary goals of the Enhancing Education Through Technology program is to improve student academic achievement through the use of technology in schools, assist students in crossing the digital divide by ensuring that every student is technologically literate by the end of eighth grade, and to encourage the effective integration of technology with teacher training and curriculum development to establish successful research-based instructional methods. If the students rarely touch the computer, we need to develop instructional strategies that will allow students to access our available technologies to supplement instruction that utilizes the higher order thinking that is described in the upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (analysis, synthesis, evaluation). Remember, it’s all about instruction and using technology to support that instruction. Based on your classroom experiences and the material you have reviewed in this course so far, what are your two best examples of instructional activities with student engagement through technology (that you do, you have seen, you have heard / read about, or you want to do)? Avoid administrative applications (i.e., Accelerated Reader) and instruction that only involves the teacher using technology (i.e., PowerPoint presentation). Instruction should engage the students while THEY are using the technology so the students develop the 21st Century skills they need to compete in a global environment.

__Lesson Determination: __ I chose the activities I did because they were two that I had done that had a high rate of student engagement and were cross curricular. The first activity linked Language Arts and Social Studies standards very nicely. The students loved using the COWs and felt very successful when their page was done and printed for our class book. Because the text in the book was patterned using words the students could read or decode, they felt successful as they were reading the book from our library as well. The second lesson was mainly science but I incorporated writing by adding a journal/lab report type writing. The students loved both activities and were excited and actively engaged. Since I was teaching in a half day Kindergarten class at the time, it was important for me to maximize instructional time and integrate wherever I could.



__Student Engagement With Technology Podcast __ Select one of the two best examples of Instructional Activities with Student Engagement through Technology that you submitted in the last assignment. Create an audio recording (podcast) with music as a lead in (and optional trailer – trailer is the piece at the end!) of that best example with the following script:

“I’m _ _ from __ and my best example of an instructional activity with student engagement through technology is _ _. _ _.” 

__Podcast of Student Engagement Through Technology __

media type="file" key="student engagement with technology2.mp3" width="216" height="62"

__Reflection: __ I think the one thing that really hit home with me while doing this lesson was how very little my students actually used technology. I really took time to reflect on this and thought about several possible reasons; some that were out of my control but certainly others that I had full control of. Because I taught half day Kindergarten my time with my students was very limited. I was responsible for teaching the same material and curriculum as a full day Kindergarten class but with half the time and no paraprofessional. This affected my use of technology in two ways. First, I did use technology myself for instruction as it was very often the quickest and most efficient way to demonstrate something or provide direct instruction. As for giving my students the opportunity to use it I always felt that I didn't have the time to teach them or the time to monitor the use. While I did have parent support on occasion, it wasn't enough so that I could count on it. I also felt very limited in the technology available to my students. I had two antiquated computers that had internet access but couldn't run any of the more current programs. Rotating the students through the computers was diffucult and had to be done so that no one missed instruction. Usually I was only able to get each student on for 15 to 30 minutes per week. I did have an LCD projector and ELMO which I used often but honestly allowed limited student use due to the time constraints. While I am out of the classrom for 2 years, I am looking forward to returning and having a full day with my students. I think I have learned so much throught my classes and the readings I have done that it will be easier for me to integrate the available technology that my new school has to offer.