Harris and Hofer remind us that the approach to technology integration needs to support students "standards based learning needs," it needs to be usable by teachers with different levels of tech understanding as well as different teaching styles, it needs to be easily learned and implemented, and it is dependent on teachers truly having control over their planning and implementation processes.
The way to meet these specifications is to focus on planning first and choosing the appropriate technology to match the content and skill goals LAST. Technology options should specifically relate to or match learning activities. This called an "Activity Types" approach to tech enhancement. Harris and Hofer state that there are five steps to planning a learning event:
- As stated above, first and foremost, learning goals must be chosen.
- Pedagogical decisions are then made. Harris and Hofer suggest using 8 pedagogical decisions for this process.
- Select the activity types that will be used to achieve the learning goals. These will differ depending on the content area.
- Select formative and summative assessment strategies to monitor student achievement of learning goals.
- Select appropriate tools and resources. By choosing recommended technologies to support and enhance appropriate activities, teachers are able to incorporate technology without overshadowing the overall skill and content goals.
When reflecting on using Activity Types approach, it is very apparent that this aligns with the way that we are asked to do lessons in Dr. Stoddard's methods course. He always asks us to identify the content topic and learning/standards objectives FIRST. All other work in the lesson planning process must flow out from those goals. I think the Activity Types approach is extremely useful because I often find myself thinking, "Okay, so I want to achieve x content goal and y skills goal, but I don't know how to do it and make it fun with technology." The Activity Type list cuts down on that "not knowing what to do" anxiety by giving you multiple options for every activity you could think of as a teacher. I will definitely be using it in the future! The one area that I was a little confused on was step 2, making pedagogical decision with the 8 categories. That part is something that I am not used to doing and would like to go over in class.
I am so excited about implementing technology in the classroom. In my science methods course, there is so much focus on future planning. On Monday, in fact, I have an annual plan that outlines the order in which I plan to instruct lessons for the entire school year. While I gather the topics of my lessons together on an annual scale, my mind frequently wanders to how I am going to implement technology in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteMainly, I plan to use technology everyday. Of course, the basics include PowerPoint presentations and movies. More advanced technologies warranted research. Quite readily, I can see myself using software, such as Interactive Whiteboard, TinkerPlots, and LoggerPro.
Pedogogically, I think people are becoming too dependent on computers. During my undergraduate career, I had to know how to research, write, compute, and draw diagrams on the computer. Many people in the sciences are missing another important element in technology in the sciences: the fact that there are numerous machines designed by scientists solely to fit the particular research criteria that they are working on. In high school, I believe I will incorporate the easy basics like probeware, microscopes, and spectrometers.
My learning goal is I want my students to know as much about technology as is possible. I want my students to be as prepared for the future as is possible. This does take a tremendous amount of planning and educational effort. I am looking forward to involving them in podcasts and enabling them to make mini-movies out of their research instead of simply writing papers.
Teaching is all about the struggle for balance. As our knowledge increases in every subject, so does the quantity of information that society expects students to know. The focus in every classroom needs to be on the content of the subject, and everything else is an accessory and supplementary.
ReplyDeleteIn the sciences in particular there has been an explosion of available technology to aid in teaching. Most widely used is Microsoft Powerpoint. I am personally against the extensive use of powerpoint presentations as it forces the students to listen to what the teacher has to say and attempt to write and synthesize the information posted on the screen. This is too much for almost any student to be able to do, especially as there is a significant amount of new vocabulary and content.
The use of technology in the classroom should be used to promote the knowledge and understanding of the students of both the content being taught and the application of the technology, but the emphasis needs to be placed upon the content. If a technology is too foreign to a student, they will spend time struggling with the use of the tool rather than the information that the tool is supposed to be illuminating.
Some of the technology that can be used are advanced versions of more primitive technologies (microscopes, simulations and the like). These can be used to teach both information about the content and the use. I hope to use these effectively in my teaching (provided that they are available). Otherwise, I will need to model their use in front of the class and attempt to take time to allow various students in groups to learn how to use the devices.
The articles on Activity Types provide an explicit foundation for the curricular and pedagogical decision making processes we apply to most educational tools but, for one reason or another, have often been made exempt from technology integration. The basic guideline of content/curriculum objective first, tool second approach makes so much sense that one is tempted to say, "Well, duh!" except for the fact that the order has been reversed so many times in the past. I particularly liked the graphic for the eight coorresponding curricula in the main article by Harris and Hofer. In our science content class, we've been asked to perform lengthy "Curriculum Topic Studies" for a few of the subjects we plan on teaching in the fall. The graphic is a more generalized way of organizing the same knowledge we obtain by doing a CTS, and I can see how addressing all eight areas would help a teacher identify basic types of activities without overlooking an important aspect of a lesson.
ReplyDeleteI cannot see any conflict between the curriculum-design exercises we've been doing in the science methods course and Activity Types. Each of our lessons is meant to follow a "5E" model - engage, explore, explain, extend, evaluate - and revolve around key objectives or questions for each lesson. Obviously this approach is also curriculum- and pedagogy-centered, just like Activity Types, and the breakdown of pedagogical steps might further align with many of the science taxonomy quite well. For example, technologies for conceptual knowledge building sound like they might fit best with "explain," while knowledge expression might fit best under "explore." The combined tools could be used in lesson planning so that no stone is left unturned and teachers can be confident that, if not totally successful, at least their lesson plans are well-thought-out and grounded in sound principles of curriculum and pedagogy.
Matt and John, I agree that technology is a tool and that it should only be used to the extent that it has educational value. I like the guiding questions that were included in the first article. As just one example, how you answer the first question (Will the activity be teacher- or student-centered?) should influence what form of technology you use. So often we've heard that we need to have a student-centered approach as teachers, but there are times when a lecture is necessary. The reason I am a teacher is that I have some knowledge that my students need to learn and knowledge of things like grammar rules and punctuation rules are not going to come out of a class discussion. A good example of teacher-centered technology is using a Power Point as a guide for class notes. If, on the other hand, I am planning a very student-centered class in which I want all of my students talking to one another about a text we have just read, I might create a wiki and have students respond to various discussion prompts.
ReplyDeleteThe second article I read surprised me. I had no idea that there were 65 potential learning activity types for secondary English. At some point, I'll need to look into what all of those are.