Chapter 9 Summary

Chapter 5 Staff Development for Technology Integration in the Classroom

For teachers to be able to integrate technology into the curriculum they need to have a vision that will change with the technology. Four approaches to professional development for technology integration illustrate staff development plans that leverage local expertise and aim for schoolwide improvement (Collier, 2001). Technology mentors can be new teachers or teachers that know about technology and how to integrate it into the curriculum.
At my school we have many teachers that know a lot about technology and are always happy to help other teachers with any technology difficulties they are having. I think that the most important aspect of technology integration is having teachers that understand how to incorporate technology in the curriculum and are willing to learn how to use the technology. Sometimes I get frustrated with technology because the computers are old or don’t work all the time, but I know the benefits technology can have for student learning. So I am trying not to get frustrated with the technology in my classroom and started using the projection system a lot more. It surprises me sometimes how much students know about technology, even the little ones know a lot more then you think.

Technology integration cannot happen without the proper staff development that focuses on the teachers’ and students’ needs with the cooperation of the administration.
Reference

Collier, C. (2001). Staff development for technology integration in the classroom. In LeBaron,J.F. & Collier, C. (eds.) Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. SanFrancisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Chapter 3 Technology for Urban Schools

Technology integration has can be a challenge for urban school districts because of the number of school, its diverse population and funding. Once a school has some or all of the wiring and equipment in place, teachers and students must possess the skill and sense of purpose to use it (Gallagher, 2001). It can be difficult to wire these schools to be technology ready because of the number of schools and personnel. These schools also have to compete with the needs of the students and resources they need, e.g., ESOL teachers, special education teachers, reading recovery teachers, speech therapist and other specialist. Our school deals with this issue because a lot of our funding goes to the staff needed to provide all of the services the student’s need that technology cannot provide alone.

Integrating technology into the classroom can become a challenge because teachers need to be able to use the technology and successfully incorporate it into the curriculum. The problem lies on the testing that needs to be done, which is the primary means for judging a school’s effectiveness, teachers will resent time taken from the curriculum to try different strategies (Gallagher, 2001). Urban school districts like Chicago’s and Cleveland don’t have the infrastructure or funding necessary to upgrade their aging schools to the technology level needed to succeed in the workforce of today. We need to find a way to provide technology to these urban schools where a large percentage of the nation’s children are taught (Gallagher, 2001).


Reference

Gallagher, E.M. (2001). Technology for urban schools: Gaps and challenges. In LeBaron, J.F. & Collier, C. Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Chapter 2 Curriculum Planning for Technology-Rich Instruction

Both strategic and operational planning contribute to the cause of effective technology integration in a school’s teaching and learning environment (LeBaron, 2001). Curriculum planning for technology integration is a school wide project that is a six stage process; create shared vision, assess curriculum needs, describe shared goals and outputs, define key inputs, assign responsibilities, and evaluate the results of the plan. Planners must consider the broad range of individual learning styles, with a view to applying technology’s unique capacities to meet the full scope of learner diversity (LeBaron, 2001). LeBaron points out that curriculum implementation is a continuing process, subject to review, reassessment, and evaluation at any time (LeBaron, 2001).
In my school a lot of the upper grades have implemented technology into their curriculum. In my first grade team we are beginning the process for planning the implementation of technology within our curriculum. I have tried to implement as much as I can and the children get really excited when we use technology to learn new things, but it can be difficult and time consuming. Our 1 and 2 multiage teacher has a smartbaard in her classroom and she is always using in it. If my classroom wasn’t so far away I would have my class in there every other day because there are so many things you can do with the smart board, plus it is so interactive.

Chapter 4 Technology and Learning: Getting the Story Out

Basically this chapter is telling us that we need to get our students to generate their own ideas and understanding about the different subjects, rather than memorization like it has been in the past. Technology-based learning environments can help optimize the achievement of these research-based principles for enhancing student motivation in the classroom (Jarvela, 2001). While integrating technology in the curriculum is a great asset for the students, we as teachers need to prove that the technology being used in the classroom will improve test scores as well as the students’ learning progress, so that we can get more and better technology into our schools and classrooms. I work at a Title I school and a lot of the parents want their children to use the computers and learn how to use them in school. I try to use technology as a whole class activity and individually when possible, but when you only have three computers and 18 first graders that need a lot of support, it can be a challenge.

References

Jarvela, S. (2001). Technology and learning: Getting the story out. In Lebaron, J.F. & Collier, C.Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

LeBaron, J.F. (2001). Curriculum planning for technology rich instruction. In Lebaron, J.F. & Collier, C. Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

The Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act

The NCLB act has an impact on the way we teach because it makes teachers, schools, and districts accountable for every student. I am struggling with this right now. In my school we have AYP meetings after every grading period and it really makes you look at the students’ progress to see if they are making the bench marks. I have a least 5 students that are not and will probably not meet the reading and writing bench marks for the end of first grade. The reason for this is because they are second language learners but I know that I need to be accountable for every child in my classroom, but not every child is the same and there are so many outside reasons why kids do not succeed in school, why are we lumping all the scores and percentages into one to see that no child is left behind.

I agree that schools and districts should emphasize quality teaching rather than focusing primarily on credentials to make significant and long-term improvements (NCREL, 2005). Just having a credentials does not mean that the teacher will do what she needs to meet all the students needs to achieve and meet bench marks.

Parents need to be more proactive as well by helping their children at home. If parents read with the child every night that reinforces what we teach at school. I can tell whose parents are involved in their child’s education and those who aren’t.

Reference

U.S. Department of Education (2005, September 19) No Child Left Behind. Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://www.nclb.gov

White House News Release (2005, January 12) Fact Sheet: No Child Left Behind-High Quality, High School Initiatives. Retrieved February 19, 2007, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/release/2005/01/print/2000501112-3.html

North Central Region Educational Laboratory. (2005) Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: Teacher Quality Improves Student Achievement. Retrieved February 19, 2005, from http://www.ncrel.org/quality/qkey8/qkey8.pdf