Integrating Technology into the Curriculum Norm Vaughan EDUC3325

1
Integrating Technology into theCurriculumNorm
Vaughan - EDUC3325
2
Overview

• Trends in technology integration
• Preparing for curriculum integration
• Practical guidelines and suggestions for
  integration

3
Trends in Technology Integration

• Debate Integration of technology via
  interdisciplinary studies (breadth) versus single
  subject emphasis (depth)
• Plato - thought that interdisciplinary
  instruction would allow a student to gain a broad
  understanding of complex ideas.
• Aristotle - thought that pure knowledge of a
  discipline was necessary to gain true
  understanding

4
Trends in Technology Integration

• Single subject Curriculum
• - usually divided into discrete subject areas,
  teaching in isolation
• Interdisciplinary Curriculum
• - focus on the interconnections between
  disciplines (e.g. humanities - social studies
  language arts)

5
Trends in Technology Integration

• Single Subject Emphasis
• Background - long tradition - we teach who we
  are
• -this emphasis still reflects both the beliefs
  and traditions of a large number of educators
• -structure of middle and high schools often
  gravitates around teaching a single subject at a
  time
• Integration of Technology - reflects the single
  subject emphasis
• -software companies and developers have geared
  their products to traditional subject areas

6
Trends in Technology Integration

• Interdisciplinary Emphasis
• Background - reflects a much more societal trend
  - systems approach
• -many parts of our society, from business to
  medicine, now recognize that systems work much
  better when there are connections between
  components
• -this trend will likely put increased pressure on
  schools to teach subjects in an interdisciplinary
  fashion

7
Trends in Technology Integration

• Interdisciplinary Emphasis
• Integration of Technology - research indicates
  that teachers who become more comfortable with
  technology in their classrooms are more flexible,
  even experimental in their approaches to teaching
• -software companies are beginning to develop
  products that model subject-area integration

8
Preparing for the Curriculum Integration

• Teacher Technical Skills Requirements
• Student Technical Skills Requirements
• Classroom Environment
• Equipment and Other Resources
• Tips on Designing an Integration Strategy

9
Preparing for the Curriculum Integration

• Teacher Technical Skills Requirements
• Basic knowledge about computer technology
  (general grasp of how computers work and ability
  to use basic computer terminology)
• Equipment operations skills (e.g. formatting
  disks, loading and running programs, saving
  files, printing documents, and trouble shooting
  for minor problems)
• Productivity tools skills (ability to use and
  teach word processing, database, spreadsheet,
  graphics, and desktop publishing software)

10
Preparing for the Curriculum Integration

• Teacher Technical Skills Requirements (cont.)
• Instructional application skills (evaluate and
  use various types of specialized computer
  software - drill and practice, tutorial,
  simulation, and problem-solving packages)
• Management application skills (use computers to
  manage and complete tasks such as record keeping,
  progress reports, report cards, attendance,
  worksheets, tests, letters to parents and grade
  books)

11
Preparing for the Curriculum Integration

• Student Technical Skills Requirements
• Motivation (usually not a problem with computers)
• Focus (ability to stay on task)
• Independence (students learn as they work rather
  than depending on the teacher for all the
  answers)

12
Preparing for the Curriculum Integration

• Classroom Equipment
• Key - plan for flexibility to make the best use
  of scarce resources
• One computer - Entire class instruction with a
  computer projection device
• One computer - Entire class instruction in
  cooperative groups with computer management of
  data
• Limited computers - Classroom arranged in
  centers, some with computers. Student rotation.
• Limited computers - Cooperative group activity
  using computers as resources (e.g. CD-Rom,
  Internet)

13
Preparing for the Curriculum Integration

• Equipment and Other Resources
• Always test run an equipment setup before
  students arrive
• Be sure to have equipment manuals on hand in
  order to troubleshoot minor technical problems
  that do not require an expert to fix

14
Preparing for the Curriculum Integration

• Tips on Designing An Integration Strategy
• 1. Assess technology resources (determine what
  technology resources are available within your
  school and district)
• 2. Look for connections between whats available
  and whats needed (match curriculum needs to
  available resources)
• 3. Plan activities (use resources to plan lessons
  and activities)

15
Preparing for the Curriculum Integration

• Tips on Designing An Integration Strategy (cont.)
• 4. Set up equipment (test before students arrive)
• 5. Try it (model risk taking - inform students
  that you are trying something new and that things
  may not work out as expected)
• 6. Evaluate and revise (spend some time
  reflecting on classroom success and how to
  improve it)

16
Practical Guidelines and Suggestions for
Integration

• Demonstrate relevance
• Strive to prepare students for the world in which
  they will live
• Utilize community resources
• Plan for technologys effect on teaching
  practices

17
Practical Guidelines and Suggestions for
Integration

• Demonstrate relevance
• Use technology to allow students to make
  connections between what they are learning in the
  classroom and the real world

18
Practical Guidelines and Suggestions for
Integration

• Strive to prepare students for the World in which
  they will live
• Develop classroom activities and lessons that
  support the following workplace competencies and
  foundation skills
• Workplace competencies
• Resources
• Interpersonal skills
• Information
• Systems
• Technology

19
Practical Guidelines and Suggestions for
Integration

• Strive to prepare students for the World in which
  they will live (cont.)
• Foundational Skills
• Basic Skills (e.g. reading, writing, arithmetic,
  speaking and listening)
• Thinking Skills (e.g. learn, reason, creative
  thinking, decision making, problem solving)
• Personal Qualities (responsibility, self esteem,
  integrity)

20
Practical Guidelines and Suggestions for
Integration

• Utilize Community Resources
• Use technology to break down the walls between
  school and community
• Community based technology projects
• Use telecommunications to connect students to
  their community

21
Practical Guidelines and Suggestions for
Integration

• Plan for Technologys Effect on Teaching
  Practices
• Shift in teachers behaviors and attitudes who
  utilize technology in their classroom
• Teacher to student centered activities
• Whole class to small group instruction
• Structured to exploratory learning
• Competitive to cooperative learning activities
• Classroom to whole world interactions