To be an educator of the 21st century, it is extremely important to make efforts to incorporate technology into the classroom and adapt to the constantly changing advancements in technology. It is significant that educators learn about the many different technological tools that are available that could benefit their students’ learning experiences. Teachers should integrate technology into their curriculum in an age appropriate way that is engaging and meaningful to the students. However, “There is no ‘one best way’ to integrate technology into the curriculum. Rather, integration efforts should be creatively designed or structured for particular subject matter ideas in specific classroom contexts” (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). Teachers should be sure to choose technological tools that give students the opportunity to collaborate with one another, as well as tools that correlate to their academic curriculum. Throughout this course, I had the opportunity to work with my fellow classmates on a “Mock Teaching” assignment, where I was able to create a lesson that we then taught to the class. The lesson my group and I prepared was an integrated ELA and Science lesson about the Five Senses. We made sure to incorporate both technology and hands-on learning experiences in order for the lesson to be effective. I have learned that it is very important to enforce teamwork, collaboration, and communication, so my group chose to incorporate these things into our lesson as well. My group and I began by choosing a topic that we felt would interest the students and be developmentally appropriate. We chose developmentally appropriate objectives for our students based on the ISTE and Common Core Standards for second graders. The goal of our lesson was for our students to be able to understand the five senses, which are hearing, smell, touch, sight, and taste by responding to polls, answering questions, creating a digital story, and collaborating with their peers. My group and I incorporated a variety of technological tools in an attempt to keep our students engaged throughout our entire lesson. Some of the tools we used were Kahoot!, Poll Everywhere, Google Forms, AWW App, and Google Classroom. These tools could all be used for activating background knowledge, collaborating with others, providing feedback, and checking for understanding. The technological tools that my group chose for our lesson all provide “opportunities for students to generate ideas, design plans, and produce products” (Carrington, 2016). (Click below to continue reading)
Image is from Google Images
Standards
New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy: 6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers
ISTE Standard -Creative Communicator 6. Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals. Students: c. communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
References
Carrington, A. (n.d.). The padagogy wheel v4.1. Designing Outcomes. Retrieved from https://designingoutcomes.com/assets/PadWheelV4/PadWheel_Poster_V4_HighRez.pd. Common Core (2017). Read the Standards. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/. ISTE, (2017). International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Educators: www.iste.org/standards.aspx. Koehler, M. & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70. Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2009). P21 framework definitions. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework.
Click below to continue reading my reflective statement!