What
is Technology Integration?
Technology
integration in K-12 education requires students to actively use
technology, not just view technology-based content created by
their teachers. The goal of technology integration is for teachers
to apply the use of technology in a seamless manner so that it
supports and extends curriculum objectives and engages students
in meaningful learning.
Teachers
should strive to make technology a part of everyday life in the
classroom, while using it to enrich learning activities. They
should not use technology just to use it. They should find ways
to use it so that it enhances instruction and improves student
learning. The focus of technology integration activities should
not be on the technology that is used, but on the student activities
that are conducted using technology.
Technology
integration does not happen by accident. Teachers must learn how
to incorporate student use of technology into meaningful activities
in their lesson plans. There is a learning curve to becoming proficient
in technology integration, but once the skills are learned and
activities are identified and located or developed, teachers find
that technology can actually reduce preparation time.
Why
is Technology Integration Needed?
Education
leaders have recognized the importance of students learning how
to use technology and have enacted new technology standards that
require teachers to integrate the use of technology into the curriculum
for every subject. They have seen the great need for K-12 students
to learn to use technology as a part of their daily lives in order
to prepare themselves for a future filled with technology. Almost
all workers in business, industry, government, and education are
now required to use technology. The technology skills and knowledge
that students gain in the classroom will create a foundation for
the technology skills and knowledge they will need in the future.
There
are many reasons technology integration is needed in education.
Robyler (2003) compiled a list of reasons why technology should
be used based on current research.
Elements
of a Rationale for Using Technology in Education
1.
Technology provides motivation for students by:
- Gaining
learner attention
- Engaging
the learner through production work
- Increasing
perceptions of control
2.
Technology offers unique instructional capabilities, such as:
- Linking
learners to information and educational resources
- Helping
learners visualize problems and solutions
- Tracking
learner progress
- Linking
learners to learning tools
3.
Technology gives support for new instructional approaches, such
as:
- Cooperative
learning
- Shared
intelligence
- Problem
solving and higher level skills
4.
Technology increased teacher productivity by:
- Freeing
time to work with students by helping with production and
record-keeping tasks
- Providing
more accurate information more quickly
- Allowing
teachers to produce better looking, more “student-friendly”
materials more quickly
5.
Technology skills are required for an information age:
- Technology
literacy
- Information
literacy
- Visual
literacy
Tools
for Technology Integration
Technology
Tools
Many
types of technology tools can be used for technology integration
into the curriculum. The most commonly used tools include:
Application
Software
- Word
processing software
- Spreadsheet
software
- Database
software
- Presentation
graphics software
- Instructional
software
The
Internet
- Search
engines
-
E-mail
- WebQuests
- Virtual
field trips
These
tools can be used in many ways to create technology-integrated
activities for students. The challenge for teachers is to design
instructional activities so that students are required to use
technology as a tool, not as just a mechanism for the delivery
of content. Keeping this in mind, teachers should:
- Add
meaningful activities to existing lesson plans that require
students to use one or more technology tools.
- Design
new lesson plans that require students to participate in meaningful
activities that use technology tools.
Selecting
Learning Activities for Technology Integration
Many types
of traditional learning activities can be extended for use for
technology integration. Cunningham and Billingsley (2003) identified
a list of criteria that can be used in the selection of technology-based
learning activities. These criteria include:
- Plan
authentic activities – Select activities that are similar
to activities that students might encounter in life outside
of school.
- Promote
self-directed learners – Design activities that encourage
learners to manage their own learning by allowing them to make
choices about their use of time, topics or subject matter, and
possibly criteria for successful learning.
- Go
beyond one subject area – Create activities that encourage
the exploration of cross disciplinary questions and issues.
- Use
multiple approaches – Plan a diverse range of activities
and allow students to choose what kind of activity they believe
will work best for them.
- Go
beyond retelling – Include activities that require
the use of higher-level thinking skills such as compilation,
solving a mystery, designing a product or plan, building consensus,
persuading, seeking self-knowledge, or making judgments.
- Keep
it simple – Both teachers and students find simpler
curriculum designs easier to use.
- Borrow
activity ideas from others – Take advantage of the
wonderful educational resources that are available on the web
and don’t feel like you have to create the materials for every
technology-based learning activity yourself.
- Touch
imagination – Give students opportunities to use their
imaginations for wonder, creativity, or self-expression.
- Build
to promote intentionality – Student learning activities
should be designed and conducted with clear purposes that will
help to achieve learning goals.
- Engage
the learner – Design interesting activities that require
learner participation and that will challenge the learner’s
current skills, knowledge, and attitudes.
- Build
on controversy – Build learning activities around controversial
issues and offer students opportunities for accessing and comparing
different views on these topics.
- Use
characteristics of the web – Make use of web elements
such as hypertext, multimedia, communication tools, and interactivity.
- Build
activities around current events – Design activities
that include opportunities to learn about current events.
- Use
non-web materials, events, and locations – Use the
Internet for some things, but not for everything.
- Facilitate
spontaneity and discovery
– Strive to find the proper balance between teacher control
and student freedom.
- Plan
for open-ended inquiry – Let students make choices
within a set of educationally sound boundaries.
Carroll, J.
A. & Witherspoon, T. L. (2002). Linking technology and curriculum:
Integrating the ISTE NETS standards into teaching and learning
(2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc./Merrill
Prentice Hall.
Cunningham,
C. A. & Billingsley, M. (2003). Curriculum webs: A practical
guide to weaving the web into teaching and learning. Boston,
MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Roblyer, M.
D. (2003). Integrating educational technology into teaching
(3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc./Merrill
Prentice Hall.
Shelly, G.
B., Cashman, T. J., & Vermaat, M. E. (2001). Discovering computers
2002: Concepts for a digital world. Boston, MA: Course Technology.
