We are grateful for the opportunity to use modern technology and share from our activities and find w.w. friends ready to take part in our English classes and projects.Best regards from Scoala "I.P.Reteganul"-Reteag,BN,Romania
Friendly,
teacher :Ovidiu Bocsa
scoalaionpopreteganul@yahoo.com

I really want to learn more on this so please assist.

Integrating technology in the classroom is a key element that needs to be addressed for the future.. more appropriately, the integration of technology into the classroom should be in full swing presently. What is even more important is how that technology is utilized in the classroom. Today’s school systems are not structured to fully utilize the use of technology in their schools. I don’t mean in regards to hardware technology, but in a modality that utilizes students getting more personal facilitation from teachers and teachers having the time to fully utilize the capabilities that technology brings to the classroom. The modus operandi of most teachers in using technology is merely to replace old technologies in doing the same thing with a newer technology.

Historically schools are designed to utilize the mode of direct instruction to students. Technology has increased the capability and the need to pull away from direct instruction, and put the teacher in the role of advisor and facilitator, teaching students higher level thinking skills in order to sift through the flood of data that students can now access through technology.

An example of poor practice is that in days past, the teacher would send students to the encyclopedia to gather data and then compile that data and report on it in a variety of formats. This mode has not changed much with the incorporation of technology. Now teachers often send students to the computer, i.e. the internet, to find their material and then report back. The teacher has now replaced a book with a computer with only slightly different results. The strength of technology in the classroom is that it can be used to tie in all kinds of resources and community contacts to bring the information alive for students and to make it a part of their life. What this requires is for the teacher to have time to make those links and connections that technology makes possible, so that the teacher may guide the student through the process, beyond just data mining. …but this takes more time, and a restructuring of how schools work.

It is true (as stated in the podcast) technology can be convoluted, and sometime difficult, with the need for teachers to be fully prepared for what they are expecting the technology to do, and what could go wrong. This is further evidence that teachers need more time outside of the classroom to prepare for high energy, seamless, and highly productive class time. Nowhere else in the business world would it be expected for a presenter to have such limited time to prepare for a presentation (which is typically direct instruction). Being a jr. high, or high school teacher is akin to being the writer/director/actor in a one-man dinner show, with the actor doing five shows a night, with only an hour of rehearsal time. Then tomorrow a brand new play needs to be written, planned, and rehearsed with the same one hour rehearsal time. ..and this continues each day. Of course the good teacher spend a lot more time doing this preparation time, but this is all above and beyond their normal work day, … and their pay.

You also mention using digital microscopes in the examination of a penny, but this again is merely scratching the surface, and not much different than what can be achieved with a classroom set of jeweler’s loupes. But.. collecting data on what is being seen using the microscope like ware patterns and other minute details, but then linking your data (observation and digital pictures) with another classroom at another school, state, or country in order to make comparisons, begins to use the technology to come alive and interactive.

The discussion of creating a way for students to experience a field trip that students would normally not be able to experience is very valid and worthwhile, but what about students creating a virtual field trip for a location in their area, so that they may share that with students in a different classroom from a different part of the world. And likewise that other classroom would be making a digital field trip for your class. This would put the students in the role of the expert to answer questions from other students. Likewise your students would have a connection with others students to make their experience more real, and to have a resource for future questions and projects. Don’t just replace an old technology with a new technology, but utilize the new technology in new and enlightening ways.

Things need to change in schools so teachers have the time to make these kinds of technology connections for their students.

Also.. thank you for the think.com reference.

I agree with 100% that technology needs to be integrated into the classroom. I believe that since our students have grown up with technology all around them, that they are accustomed to it and they have learned so much more because they have these tools. But, unfortunately, believing it and doing it are two different things. We have so much to do with trying to meet standards and trying to do things that will make our students progress, that it is sometimes very difficult to have the time to find things on the internet or other sources of technology to teach one thing. Where do we as teachers find the time to do these things and in some cases teachers are not even trained to use the technology. How can this process be easier for teachers!?

I agree with 100% that technology needs to be integrated into the classroom. I believe that since our students have grown up with technology all around them, that they are accustomed to it and they have learned so much more because they have these tools. But, unfortunately, believing it and doing it are two different things. We have so much to do with trying to meet standards and trying to do things that will make our students progress, that it is sometimes very difficult to have the time to find things on the internet or other sources of technology to teach one thing. Where do we as teachers find the time to do these things and in some cases teachers are not even trained to use the technology. How can this process be easier for teachers!?

I agree with 100% that technology needs to be integrated into the classroom. I believe that since our students have grown up with technology all around them, that they are accustomed to it and they have learned so much more because they have these tools. But, unfortunately, believing it and doing it are two different things. We have so much to do with trying to meet standards and trying to do things that will make our students progress, that it is sometimes very difficult to have the time to find things on the internet or other sources of technology to teach one thing. Where do we as teachers find the time to do these things and in some cases teachers are not even trained to use the technology. How can this process be easier for teachers!?

As an administrator in a K-12 school district, I understand your concern that finding the time not only how to use the technology but how to effectively integrate teachnology is challenging. With today's standards-driven curriculum and accountablility, I think time will continue to be an issue. However, I believe there are several components that may help teach tackle the time barier.

1. The need for Instructional Designers and/or Instrutional Technologists; especially at the district level. Typically, your Instrucitonal Deisgners or Instructional Technologists are going to have a better understanding of how to help teachers plan for the integration of technology using a systematic approach. In other words, these individuals can help teachers link student use of technology, curriculum standards, and utilizing engaging instuctional strategies (or differentiated instructional strategies).

2. Teachers need to know exactly what the student goals and outcomes are. If you look at any curriculum standard, you will see that there is room for creativity. Even a standard's indicators are broad and open for interpretation. These are excellent opportunities to capitalize on integrating technologies to support lesson plans and/or thematic units while, at the same time, address curriculum standards. Without a clear understanding of your expected student outcomes (guided by curriculum indicators), then planning for the integration of technology will be a difficult, and even wasteful, task.

3. Understand the technology's purpose. Too often, teachers attempt to integrate technology simply for the sake of using technology. In addition to being comfortable with technology yourself, you have to be able to match the appropriate technology that will allow your students to achieve those expected learning outcomes. I see this often with podcasting. I often tell teachers "If podcasting is not designed to help your students meet the lesson plan goals/objectives that are identified, then don't wast time with podcasting for that lesson. Podcasting can be an engaging activity, no question, but it has no connection with the curriculum goal/objective/standard, then you are likely to be wasting valuable class time."

4. Seek out Web-based professional development. I am finding that Web-based training is very appealing to classroom teachers simply because there is no time in a school day to learn how to use/integrate technology. In many districts today, planning time has been significantly reduced. This leaves teachers with either early morning, after school, weekend, or Web-based training as the only options for technolgoy professional development. Web-based training, if designed effectively and utilized rich multimedia, gives teachers convenient anytime, anwhere training. In fact, I created a Blackboard course about Blackbord that utilizes interactive streaming flash video. If a teacher wants to learn how to create and and suggestions for integrating a wiki in a Blackboard course, they simply watch a streaming video on how to accomplish this. This, then, allows teachers to apply skills and have complete control over their own learning/training pace. I think more teachers need to inquire/push for Web-based technology professional development to their I.T. departments and administrators; not just be provided with hyperlinks to online tutorials that merely show you how to use educational software.

5. Professional development, face-to-face or online, needs to be hands on that focuses on both the "how to" skills and classroom integration at the same time. For example, I may show a group of teachers or building-level Technology Integration Specialists on how to create a vodcast episode with Windows Moive Maker or Photo Story, but their images, video, and narrations they produce are tied to a specific curriculum goal/standard/lesson plan.

I understand that this is esier said than done considering that time is a given barrier for today's teachers. I hope this provides some insight and/or starting point.

I also feel that technology should be incorporated into the classroom. However, I also struggle with how to implement it. I am currently working on my master's degree and I am taking a technology class at the moment. I am getting more ideas on how to use technology in the classroom, but I am struggling with how I can apply it to my classroom. To explain, I teach students in an elementary who have significant disabilities. I would love to use blogs and wikis with my students, but given the circumstances, I don't see how this is possible. The only thing I can think to do is read what is put into the blog to the students and type it in for them, but this does not really seem like a productive use of class time. It seems that it would be easier to just have students discuss face to face rather than involving computers. I know that I might sound rather pesimistic, but I am really stumped with this. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks in advance for your participation.

I also agree that technology should be incorporated into the classroom, but I am struggling with how to execute this. To explain, I teach students who have multiple and significant disabilities in an elementary. I would love to have class blogs and wikis, but given the fact that my students cannot read, spell, type, etc. I could see this as being a very difficult task for my students to complete. Anyone have suggestions on how I can incorporate technology in my classroom in relation to using the internet. I am stumped on this one. Thanks in advance for your suggestions and comments.

I also agree that technology should be incorporated into the classroom, but I am struggling with how to execute this. To explain, I teach students who have multiple and significant disabilities in an elementary. I would love to have class blogs and wikis, but given the fact that my students cannot read, spell, type, etc. I could see this as being a very difficult task for my students to complete. Anyone have suggestions on how I can incorporate technology in my classroom in relation to using the internet. I am stumped on this one. Thanks in advance for your suggestions and comments.