Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching

This is an article about a book that is all about integrating technology into the classroom.  This book talks about how teachers can integrate technology into their curriculm and do so by effectively teaching technology ways.  This book shows how technology can effectively enhance learning.  This book is built upon strong research, the TIP model, and numerous integration strategies.


http://www.mendeley.com/research/integrating-educational-technology-into-teaching/

Have You Discovered Pinterest Yet?

Pinterest is a new site where users can pin their interests to their own boards and save these ideas for future use.  The cool thing about this site is that there is an education section, where teachers can look through other teacher's ideas for their classroom and save it for future use. This is a way for teachers to integrate technology in a non-obvious way.  They are integrating technology by using it to find fun and new ideas for their own classroom.  Teachers can find everything from worksheets, lessons and decorating ideas.  This is something that might turn into the new way of sharing information.

http://karenogen.blogspot.com/

Technology Wish List

This is an article that talks about 101 things that teachers wish for in their classrooms in terms of technology.  Some of these things include, a set of class laptops, blogging, computer website, computer safety, data projector, music and technology, DJ software, and iPads in the classroom.

Teachers believe that if granted these items that the quality of student learning may be enhanced.


http://blog.classroomteacher.ca/26/101-ways-classroom-technology/

Using Technnology in the Early Childhood Classroom

The use of technology in young children's lives is a positive thing.  Although, they do not encourage hours of television watching done by young children because it is too passive, this article encourages hands on computer programs that would engage a young person's mind. 

Also, children with risks of delays benefit greatly from technology programs that help measure where they are at.  Technology can be also used to test the senses of young children.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/using_technology.htm

Top 6 Ways to Use Tech to Boost Student Achievement

This article talks about the top 6 ways that technology can be used to boost student achievement in school. 

Number 6 talks about how we as teachers should use technology in multiple ways.  For example, with a computer, students can learn "from" computers like as a tutor and students can learn "with" computers where technology is applied to enhance student learning.

Number 5 talks about using technology that will help our students.  Schools should develop a technology planning team so that when the student's goals are determined, the team can determine how technology is going to help students reach those goals.

Number 4 talks about how teachers need to be comfortable with technology.  Teachers need to fully be comfortable with technology in order for students to receive full benefit from its instruction.

Number 3 talks about tech support.  Schools need to not only invest in technology but tech support so when things break, teachers and administrators don't become frustrated. 

Number 2 talks about evaluating technology so it can keep evolving and improving.

And lastly, number 1 talks about not rushing into anything.  Carefully plan how you are going to incorporate technology so everything goes as planned and there are no surprises.


http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/top-6-ways-to-use-tech-to-boost-student-achievement.shtml

3 Quick Lesson Plan Ideas That Utilize Technology

Lesson plans that utilize technology is a great way to incorporate technology into a students day. 

For starters, go to GoAnimate.com and have your students create short movies.  GoAnimate.com is an animation website that is free for anyone to use so this is a good way to have students use the web for a fun interactive project.

Next, have your students for a project go to voki.com. This is another free website that lets students create their own free avatars that talk. As the teacher, you can have students create poetry or stories and have their avatar read them aloud.  Pretty cool!!

Finally, the last website that this article talks about is blogger.com.  This website is a great website for students to use to outline their ideas in a new and creative way.


http://www.emergingedtech.com/2011/01/3-quick-lesson-plan-ideas-that-utilize-technology/

eHow-How to Integrate Technology into the Classroom

eHow shows us all how to step by step integrate technology into the classroom.  For starters, eHow states how the teacher should set up a classroom website so students can visit that when they miss a day or need to get a hold of their teacher.  Also, eHow states that it is a good thing to have students participate in an online discussion board because it encourages students to interact with each other in a different way they are used to.  And finally, most importantly, provide instruction on how to navigate the internet.  No matter how simple or easy this seems students need this instruction so they do not get themselves into trouble in their future.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2187337_integrate-technology-classroom-instruction.html

Many Different Ways to Use Technology in the Classroom

There are many different ways that teachers can incorporate technology into their classroom.  For example, while using the internet, students can be sent on an internet scavenger hunt, start the day by looking at current events, research what happened on the day that they were born, or visit places through streaming videos.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to student involvement.  Also, through email, students could be able to ask an expert or an author an opinion on what they might be studying to gain sources, or become a pen pal to someone on the other side of the world.  As long as the teacher stimulates student learning, with the internet at hand, there is so much that can be obtained.




http://www.classroomtech.org/integration/50ways.htm

Laptops Replacing Textbooks?

Students and faculty around the world are starting to notice that laptops would be a more cost effective way to have students be accessible to textbooks and a more efficient way to complete school work.  Teachers would be able to check daily on the work that was completed more effectively and on a more consistant basis. Also, laptops as the students primary resource would allow more of a range of research options.  They would literally have the world at their fingertips. One counter argument against laptops would be that the students could become easily distracted.  Kids could get distracted even if they didn't have a laptop sitting in front of them.  It is the teacher's job to keep the students engaged. Laptops replacing textbooks are in my opinion, what is going to make the United States a better place for education.

Integrating Technology--More Than Just Having Computers

1.) Have the class look at an online weather forcast. This is a great way to integrate technology into a class's everyday routine without stretching too far.  Looking at the weather online not only shows people the weather but makes the class familiar with using a computer.  Another way to challange students would be to show them the weather in a different language so they can make connections between languages.
2.) Use a URL in place of a quote on the board.  Instead of just writing a quote for the students to look at, write the URL so the students have to go and find the quote themselves. This will help with navigating the computer.
3.) Provide online reading comprehension practice. This will supplement what students are learning in an interactive way so they get more out of the lesson.
4.) Sign up for the science experiment of the week.  This will give the class interesting material that they can use in their classroom.  The internet is a great resource to find exciting experiments!

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml

Using PowerPoint in the Classroom

Presenting information using PowerPoint can be an exciting way to extend information to students using a variety of resources.  PowerPoints have manty obvious advantages such as presenting information to students in a way that can be meaningful to them, saving the powerpoint to catch up students who were absent and printing out the slides so the students can follow along.  What takes using a PowerPoint to the next level is what other types of media you can incorporate into the presentation.  Using PowerPoint alone can become boring and repetitive in itself. As a teacher, you should try to incorporate video clips, sound clips, photographs, animations and links to other useful websites.  Using PowerPoint is the foundation of making a technology integrated lecture, but to have an effective technology integrated lesson, you have to take advantage of all the different ways to incorporate multimedia.

Creating a WebQuest

A useful way to incorporate the use of the web for our older students would be by making a WebQuest.  A WebQuest is a way you can cover content standards by using technology resources to do that.  To create a WebQuest, start with a key objective that you want to cover.  Then plan out resources that the students will navigate to so they can obtain information to help them develop a more complex analysis of the subject.  As the teacher, you can have them navigate to a page, which could lead them to other pages to help on their information search.  By using a WebQuest in class, students are becoming more competent users of the web while obtaining the information required in the classroom. By using this alternative method to obtain the knowledge, students might show a better understanding of the content because they obtained it in a new and exciting way!


http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/weeklytips.phtml/18

Amazon Kindle

The new affordable Amazon Kindle is at an all new affordable price so students could purchase this instead of numerous textbooks while in school.  I know that this is something that probably won't be done in the near future becasue of costs, but I see this technology making its way into the classroom very soon.  Also, another cool feature of this device is kids can check out library books for weeks at a time on their kindle for free.  After the amount of weeks the book is allowed out, the book or resource goes back to its oringial source.  I see this device helping motivate students to read by using this new "cool" technology.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051QVESA/

The Advantages of Using a Smart Board

Smart boards have made an appearance all throughout the education world as of late becasue of their many advantages.  Their advantages include saving your work, which can be done by writing notes on a lecture or powerpoint as you go and you can save what you wrote without copying it down onto paper.  If a student is absent this can be an important tool.  Also, another advantage would be instead of sitting in front of a computer trying to teach your class, you can stand in front of the class and use the touch screen on the smart board to navigate where you want to go. Another advantage to smart board use is the way you can access applications from where you are instead of going back to the computer.  This way you as the teacher are not wasting time in class to show your students something that might be beneficial to them.  Lastly, smart boards allow you to connect to other smart boards across the world and communicate so if you want to utilize distance learning or if you take advantage of a professional development session. All of these advantages are ways you can integrate the smart board to make your class room better!

http://www.ehow.com/list_5905361_advantages-using-smart-board.html

Apple Education Apps

This is a good site that teachers can use because it shows all the apps that are out there for iPods, iPhones and iPads that are related to education.  Their apps' subjects range from english/language arts, mathematics, science, history and geography, language development, art, music, and accessability.  These apps are definitely something that can be incorporated into the classroom, or at home working with parents.  This would be useful in the classroom setting if the teacher had obtained several iPads (either one per person or one per group).  Each group or individual can use these apps to deepen their level of understanding on a certain subject. 

http://www.apple.com/education/apps/