WoW Project Reflection

It is often said that technology is the key to the future. Our lives revolve around technology more and more each day, and it does not look like we will be reversing that trend any time soon. Despite most areas of our lives becoming more and more technology-centered, there is one area that has been notoriously lagging behind: education. Young people are exposed to so much technology outside of the classroom, whether it be through their cell phones, computers, or video games. But that is a stark contrast to what they experience inside of the classroom. Most pieces of personal technology are even banned from being taken out during school hours. It’s probably safe to say that all major industries today have technology integrated in one way or another. But if this is the world our children are growing up in and spending the majority of their time experiencing, shouldn't they be exposed to a similar level of technological advancement while they are in school? If we want our students to leave school prepared to compete in the global job marketplace, we must equip them with the technological tools they will need. Something that I can do as a teacher is to familiarize myself with whatever technology is currently available in my classroom and to implement it to the best of my ability so that the students can be exposed to an immersive and interactive learning experience that will help to prepare them for their careers after school, whatever they may be.

Technology is not meant to replace teaching or the need for a teacher, but instead enhance it. The benefits of implementing technology-based strategies in any subject area seem almost endless. But how exactly can technology be successfully integrated into daily classroom life? Programs that enable its users to take control of their own education through active engagement are the most successful at providing students with a fulfilling and meaningful learning experience. However, in terms of what provides the greatest learning outcomes for students, research suggests that a combination of an online learning experience and face-to-face time is more effective than just online learning alone. This means that technology will never be able to fully replace teachers in the classroom due to their ability to prompt and support student exploration and creativity and provide meaningful feedback for each individual student. This is especially true in my content area of science. Teaching science, from an inquiry-based standpoint, is all about providing students with the skills they need to formulate arguments and make decisions based on the examination of the available evidence. This entails students continually asking questions and getting directly involved with what they are learning. Through the use of technology, students would be able to conduct experiments using virtual simulations, analyze raw data using statistical programs, compare their work to the work of scientists from around the world. Technology such as simulations and videos can allow students to observe phenomena that would otherwise be impossible to examine practically such as cellular processes on the molecular level. Because so much of science is based around technology, it is important to expose students to the hardware and programs that will inspire them to ask questions and become scientific thinkers.

Technology should not just be injected into a lesson plan as an afterthought after the lesson is already made. Instead, the lesson should be planned around the technology, ensuring that it is being utilized smoothly and effectively. For example, lecturing to students in a science class about biomes and presenting them with a few slides of pictures after each one would not be an effective use of technology. However, if students were instead given the opportunity to virtually “travel” to each of these biomes and individually interact with the animals and plants that inhabit them, they will be much more interested and engaged in their learning. They will be able to discover the information instead of simply being told about it.

Oftentimes, it feels like the expensive pieces of hardware and software found in schools evolve too quickly for teachers to use effectively. I’m sure many teachers have come across this scenario: they ask their principal for months or even years to provide them with the funding needed to equip their classroom with new and useful pieces of technology. But before everything is even plugged in or powered up, a new version has already been released, antiquating the “new” hardware or software that the teacher has fought so hard to get in their classroom. It seems that hardware and software evolve so quickly and are so expensive that it is impossible to keep up with current technology and it would therefore be a waste of time and effort to implement old technology. However, there are alternatives that teachers should consider:

Teachers should not be afraid to use free software. Many awesome pieces of educational software are actually open source, allowing both teachers and students to access quality content from their computers or cell phones. And just because it is free does not mean that it is not high quality or useful. Just as an example that most people will be familiar with, the Android mobile operating system is actually open source, allowing developers to more easily design and publish their software for the public to gain access to more quickly. Free educational technologies can be just as stable and secure as more expensive options, and often have a network of support to help teachers and students utilize it most effectively.

One of the articles that was actually discussed in Nature of Schools but that I think has an even greater application in this class is Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky. Growing up, I considered myself to be a "digital native," someone who grew up with technology and found it easy to use and implement in my everyday life. I could never understand how older generations were unable to see how intuitive the software or hardware was and how simple and easy the manufacturer made it for the consumer to use. It seemed that the older generations just didn't "get" it. And even if some older people were able to get the hang of technology, these "digital immigrants" still carried an "accent" with them, often being quick to revert back to their old-fashioned, tried and true methods of doing things if the technology began to act up. When viewed in a technological light, it is easier to understand why the older generations might have had difficulty reaching the "digital-generation," because there were so many differences in the way they had come to view the world and information based on the environment in which they were raised.

However, as I've gotten older, I've started to feel like the technological "language" is evolving and that I'm becoming more and more of a "digital immigrant." It's becoming more and more difficult to keep up with the newest technological trends, and I have begun to realize that I'm having trouble picking up new pieces of technology and being instantly able to use it, while younger kids have no problems whatsoever. Unless you are constantly keeping up with the newest digital trends, it becomes very easy to quickly fall behind due to the impressively fast rate at which technology evolves. The lives of today's children in 2017 are more intricately entwined with technology than any previous generation, and it will require new and creative pathways to reach them educationally. With the way technology is headed, my future classroom will most likely be based entirely around the use of technology, a further progression of what is already being seen in schools today with the replacement of textbooks with e-readers. As a future educator, it is important that I remain fluent with this digital "language" in order to effectively reach my students and relate information to them in their "native tongue." From my own personal experiences, science teachers always seem to be on top of the newest technologies, probably because technology is tied so intricately to science in so many ways. So I hope that as a scientist, I will not be afraid to be introduced to new technologies and potentially implement them in my classroom.

So now that technology is available to use in their classrooms, teachers might not know where to start. Models such as the SAMR Model (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) help teachers determine the optimal way to implement technology in their classrooms.

Substitution involves using a technological tool in place of a more traditional tool, but keeping the actual activity the same (Roblyer 2016). For example, I could have my students use a virtual human body to study anatomy instead of a physical model. The tool changes, but the activity stays the same. Augmentation involves a technological tool replacing a more traditional tool, but at the same time enhancing the activity (Roblyer 2016). For example, instead of determining the occurrence of a certain gene sequence by manually scanning and counting, an online service would allow students to determine the number of base pairs in a DNA sequence as well as their order. Modification involves technological tools considerably changing the nature of the task (Roblyer 2016). For example, instead of creating a poster, students create a website to present their projects, using the available tools to creatively express their findings in ways that are not possible through physical projects such as posters. Redefinition involves technological tools that completely change the task (Roblyer 2016). For example, instead of simply writing a paper individually over a school break, students could work together online to construct a presentation based on the research they have performed individually. Models such as this one give teachers a direction to which they can technologically lead their class.

It is fantastic that more schools are taking the initiative and implementing technology in several different facets of school life. However, it is also equally important that there be some type of guidelines that will assist teachers and administrators in determining the best way to go about integrating technology and how to assess that integration once it is in place. A rubric is a good fit for this task due to its straightforward guidelines and stated expectations. During this semester, I came across the Technology Integration Assessment Rubric, which I found to be a good foundation in determining the effectiveness of technology use in the classroom.

The Technology Integration Assessment Rubric measures the effectiveness of technology integration based on four main criteria: (1) Curriculum Goals & Technologies, (2) Instructional Strategies & Technologies, (3) Technology Selection(s), and (4) "Fit." It is possible to achieve a score between 1 and 4 for each criteria, with 4 being the most aligned with the stated expectations and 1 being least aligned. A score of 4 in the first criteria, Curriculum Goals & Technologies, indicates that the technology that is being implemented is "strongly aligned" with at least one indicated curriculum goal (Roblyer 2016). I think this is highly important because the goal of technology integration is to enable teachers and students to reach their learning goals more efficiently. For the second criteria, Instructional Strategies & Technologies, a score of 4 indicates that the technology being integrated "optimally supports" the instructional strategies being implemented by the teacher (Roblyer 2016). This is important because technology use is meant to enhance the instructional strategies used by the teacher, not entirely replace them. A score of 4 in the third criteria, Technology Selection(s), indicates that the technology that has been selected is best aligned with the learning goals and instructional strategies being implemented in the classroom (Roblyer 2016). Because there seems to be an almost endless number of technological resources available to teachers today for use in their classrooms, it is important that the time is taken to select the ones that would be most beneficial and useful in each individual classroom. For the fourth criteria, "Fit," a score of 4 indicates that the technology as well as the instructional strategies and content all "fit" together well with the determined instructional plan (Roblyer 2016). It is important that the bigger picture is examined to ensure that the technology used is aligned with not only the teacher's instructional strategies but that it is appropriate for the content as well, because different types of instructional technologies are sometimes designed to work best with a certain content area and might not work as effectively in others.

Overall, I think this rubric would be effective in determining the success of technology integration in the classroom. It aims to ensure that the technology being used is best suited to the individual needs of the teacher and their classroom. There may even be additional criteria upon which teachers or administrators might want to determine the effectiveness of technology integration on such as ease of use by the students or ability to hold student attention, so teachers should take things like that into account in addition to the criteria listed here. But overall, I found this rubric to be an effective starting point for assessing technology integration while still leaving room for individualized assessment needs.

It is often thought that the more technology that is implemented in the classroom, the more opportunities teachers have to sit back and let the technology do all the work. However, in order for technology to be correctly and effectively implemented in the classroom, the teacher must familiarize themselves with it and use it to enhance, not replace, their teaching. I, as the teacher, am still the facilitator of learning in the classroom, and it is up to me to utilize technology in a way that allows students to think creatively and be lead on a journey of educational discovery.

Works Cited

Prensky, M. (2001) "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1", On the Horizon, Vol. 9 Issue: 5, pp.1-6, https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816.

Roblyer, M. D. (2016) Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Seventh ed. N.p.: Pearson Education. Pearson eTextbooks. Web.