Instructional Technology – WHY?

1. Instructional Technology – WHY? Dr. Andrea Peach, Ed. D. Associate Professor of Graduate Education Director, Instructional Technology Endorsement Program Georgetown College

3. How do I keep up?

4. Delicious

5. Online Databases and Instructional Technology Societies

6. Why?

7. Digital Generation http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation

8. What did you see?

9. The Plan • Let’s talk a little about the WHY of technology - What are some of the current initiatives in education that have technology influences? • Then, let’s talk about the current and new instructional technology trends and how they fit in with these initiatives. • Let’s also hear from some teachers and see what they dream about in regards to the perfect classroom. • Finally, let’s dream – what is coming down the pike?

10. Universal Design

11. Universal Design for Learning

12. 21st Century Skills http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/

13. KY Teacher Standards 6: THE TEACHER DEMONSTRATES THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNOLOGY: The teacher uses technology to support instruction; access and manipulate data; enhance professional growth and productivity; communicate and collaborate with colleagues, parents, and the community; and conduct research. • Designs and implements research-based, technology-infused instructional strategies to support learning of all students. • Provides varied and authentic opportunities for all students to use appropriate technology to further their learning. • Uses technology to assess student learning, manage assessment data, and communicate results to appropriate stakeholders. • Provides and maintains a safe, secure, and equitable classroom environment that consistently promotes discerning and ethical use of technology.

14. I asked teachers… If hardware and software were plentifully available, how would you incorporate digital media into your classroom? How would it help you and your students?

15. Science teacher… If all kids had access to the Internet and I had the software in my classroom, I would assign homework in the form of reading text or images in the on-line edition of my textbook. I would also have students investigate on-line science labs. In class we would visit various web-sites that would enhance classroom discussions. they would be able to blog about the class. I could post questions [in an online forum], implement email, and essentially go paperless…

16. Art teacher… The use of digital media is a great resource in my classroom. Not only can we look at different artworks but through the use of all types of media, we can watch how the art was created. We can even have the students recreate the art right there on a computer monitor using their own styles and colors. Digital media would allow students to read, see and interact all at the same time. The possibilities are endless. Students can travel the world without leaving their desks. They could even travel the world during the Middle Ages to see what times were like. The use of digital media gives students the opportunities that they may never have in their entire lives. Teaching is about providing these opportunities. Times are changing. Textbooks that have been around for years are now a thing of the past. Digital textbooks and resources are becoming a popular tool. Digital media is the best UDL resource because it allows interaction and engagement with all students of all different types of learning styles.

17. Elementary teacher.. If hardware and software was plentiful, I would have computers accessible for each student. The idea of having the books digitized would be of great inclusion for all students. I would make sure for the students who are struggling readers that the program [Read Write Gold] would be available for them to click on a page and it would be read to them. Some students have the ability to comprehend something that is read to them but when they have to take the time to read it themselves then the struggle begins. I would also like to have Elmos [document cameras] and CPS systems so the students would be able to take assessments as a whole to show how well they are prepared for a test, and other technology it would take to advance students into the 21st century. The classrooms have to be modernized with today's ever changing world. If we as educators are not equipped with the technology we need to better our students, then we have failed to teach them.

18. From a math teacher… First, I would make sure every student had a digital copy of the textbook. We would also use the online help tools that accompany the book and take the online quizzes and study guides to go along with the math course. I would also use the Geometer's Sketchpad software to accompany my instruction of geometry. I would let the students do homework digitally and turn it in digitally if we had the resources and have the students do my online quizzes so they and I could get immediate feedback on their understanding of certain concepts. I would also help me identify quickly what I would need to re-teach.

19. One more response from a science teacher… Each student would have a laptop, connected to the network, virtual lab software, digital textbooks and reference books, research database access, probe ware, and all the real bells and whistles that a true working science laboratory has (which is more technology than I even know to name). The laptops would be part of most lessons. Sharing information, brainstorming, individual work, group work, labs, research papers....the list goes on and on. Traditional materials are absolutely restrictive for the diversity of learners in my classroom. Digital media would help the students with learning by providing each student with the necessary information in a way that could help them retain the lesson the best.

20. However… Teachers are realists • Many of the perks that I have gotten with this new textbook adoption cannot be used because it requires too much of my computer to run or not enough students can benefit from its use. They either don't have Internet or a computer. • After working with Google Docs this summer I truly like the format.  The only problem I have is that our district has blocked Google Docs.  It is so hard to tell students that they cannot use it at school when they use them at home. • Air-liners? Every time I have tried to use one of these it has not been pretty. I usually cannot get them to work properly. might just be me.

21. The Perfect Classroom

22. ASK PARTICIPANTS Which of the following would you rank highest? Discuss this with some people sitting next to you… • Smart board or digital tablet • CPS • Data projector • 1 to 1 laptops • Several laptops or pcs in room • Document camera • Specialized hardware (probes, calculators, etc) • Wireless access • Audio Enhancement

23. Let’s see what the teachers said..

24. 1 – 1 Laptops / Wireless • Todd County Project 21 C • Research is sporadic about the overall benefits. Some factors are • Teacher’s beliefs and training / expertise • Russell, Bebell, and Higgins found that students in 1 to 1 classrooms used computers more across the curriculum and used them at home for academic purposes. There was also less large-group instruction in 1 to 1 classrooms as compared to classrooms with fewer PCs. • Other studies also show an increase in computer literacy in 1 to 1 programs.

25. Audio Enhancement • “Several studies have demonstrated that the speech recognition performance of children is improved when classroom amplification is present in a classroom. Benefits have been demonstrated for children with normal hearing (Crandell, 1996; Eriks-Brophy & Ayukawa, 2000), children for whom English is a second language (Crandell, 1996), children with developmental disabilities (Flexer, Millin, & Brown, 1990) such as Down syndrome (Bennetts & Flynn, 2002), and children with mild hearing loss (Neuss, Blair, & Viehweg, 1991). These benefits provide strong support for the use of classroom amplification not only for children with hearing loss, but also for elementary schoolchildren in general.” ( Larsen & Blair: Signal-to-Noise Ratio in Classrooms. LANGUAGE, SPEECH, AND HEARING SERVICES IN SCHOOLS • Vol. 39 • 451–460 • October 2008 * American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 0161-1461/08/3904-0451

26. Data Projectors or LCD Panels • To mount or not to mount: That is the question!

27. Interactive Whiteboards

28. Remote Clickers (CPS)

29. Document Cameras • An overhead projector without the overhead film – who wouldn’t want one!

30. Highly ranked honorable mentions (and some of my own!) • Scientific probes • Portable devices (graphing calculators, Ipods, video/audio recording devices, etc.) • Flexible furniture arrangements • Flexible electric access • Video monitoring of classroom • Easy access to printing and scanning (ability to scan to email, pdf, OCR)

31. Where are we going? • Augmented Reality and Video Gaming • Collaborating through technologies like Google Wave • Improved online learning environments • More smart devices, including the ‘rumored’ Apple tablet, digital paper. • More widespread Broadband internet access through Access KY and other initiatives

32. Watch this video

33. Conclusion It takes a team of teachers, school-based staff, engineers, parents, and technology experts to design the perfect classroom. Technology is constantly changing, and it is probably impossible to design a classroom that will be totally up to date for more than a few years. But, this is the great challenge!

34. Contact Me Dr. Andrea Peach 400 E. College Street Georgetown, KY 40324 (502) 863-7050 apeach0@georgetowncollege.edu A copy of the websites and resources used in this presentation will be available by next Friday at http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/peach