What Is Technology Integration?

A Remarkable Transformation: Union City Public Schools:

Students at an editing station match music to images in a tribute to the firemen of 9/11.

Technology integration is the use of technology resources -- computers, digital cameras, CD-ROMs, software applications, the Internet, etc. -- in daily classroom practices, and in the management of a school. Technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent. Technology integration is achieved when a child or a teacher doesn't stop to think that he or she is using a computer or researching via the Internet.

Technology integration is achieved when technology is accessible and readily available for the task at hand, the 21st Century task. Technology integration is achieved when technology tools support the curricular goals, and help the students to effectively reach their goals. Students are more actively engaged in projects when technology integration is a seamless part of the learning process.

The acceptance of change is a major requirement for technology integration. Technology is continuously changing. It is an ongoing process. It demands continual learning. Change is not always easy. The initial human reaction to change is resistance. Resistance makes for slow change, but change is inevitable.

These are actual quotes from individuals in education showing the initial resistance to new technologies:

The course of change, and the introduction of new technologies, progressed in spite of the initial resistance. Change led to progress.

"Effective integration of technology is achieved when students are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. The technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions -- as accessible as all other classroom tools."

-- National Educational Technology Standards for Students, International Society for Technology in Education

Today, technology is a transparent part of children's lives. Many homes have computers and Internet connections. These technologies bring the tools of empowerment into the hands and minds of those who use them. They lead to A Change in Attitude. [1]

When effectively integrated into the curriculum, technology tools can extend learning in powerful ways. These tools, including the Internet and multimedia applications, can provide students and teachers with:

• Access to up-to-date, primary source material
• Methods of collecting and recording data;
• Ways to collaborate with students, teachers, and experts around the world
• Opportunities for expressing understanding via images, sound, and text
• Learning that is relevant and assessment that is authentic
• Training for publishing and presenting their new knowledge.

A Remarkable Transformation [2] -- It took time, teacher buy-in, and technology, but this urban school district in New Jersey has gone from dismal to dazzling.

A 'Fantastic Super' Use of Technology [3] -- Computers and multimedia are seamlessly woven into the curriculum at Mary Scroggs Elementary School.

Broadband, Big Screen! Enlivening English Language Learning in Southeast Los Angeles [4] -- To help his students broaden their English language skills, this fourth-grade teacher creates visual lessons using digital cameras and Internet search engines.

A Seamless Integration of Technology [5] -- At Sherman Oaks Community Charter School, interactive technologies support the curriculum and facilitate communication among the staff.

The New P.E. Curriculum [6] -- How one Naperville, Illinois, junior high is using high tech tools to support its exemplary P.E. program.

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