Technology Integration to Meet the Needs of the Common Core Henry Hobby
Primary Information (Webinar)
- Webinar Take Aways: (1) Technology integration is all about INTENTION. (2) The internet has accelerated the speed at which connections between speaking, listening, reading, and writing can be made. (3)Just because students are considered to be digital natives does not mean that they know how to use technology to learn. (4) Formative assessements could include: polls/responsive tools (Socratove or Kahoot!), Google Forms, or digital quizzes (Edmodo, Testmoz, or Quizlet). (5) It's important to be transparent with the use of technology and communicate initiatives and uses to parents. (6) Teachers must understand the wording and verbiage of the standards in order to effectively integrate technology in their lessons.
- Reflection: Overall, I was very pleased with this webinar and it's presenter. This webinar was an archived version, and was not a live version. The presenter spoke very clearly and at a pace that was conducive for learning and taking notes. As far as webinars go, I prefer to use this method as the primary source for professional learning. Webinars are cheaper and more feasible than in-person development. They also allow teachers, such as myself, to receive specific professional development that is not part of the school or districts development plans. This particular webinar helps to integrate technology while teaching the Common Core standards. Many Language Arts and Mathematic standards include verbiage for the inclusion of technology. This webinar showed the participants examples of Common Core standards where technology is encouraged or where technology must be used for students to meet the standard. This group of students that are entering our nation's schools are often referred to as the "iGeneration" because of all the individualized technology that they have at their fingertips. Integrating technology into our standards and lessons will help meet their needs and diverse learning styles.
Secondary Information (Resources and Links)
The SAMR Model of technology provides a framework that helps teachers integrate technology successful in the classroom. The SAMR Model also helps provide a visual for teachers to help them to know where they want to go with technology integration. Since a great deal of students have Google Drive and Google Apps at their disposal, this video will help teachers to learn how technology can help them become for of a facilitator and help students to transition into self sufficient learners. Andrew Miller mentions that students that are not digitally literate will need scaffolding with their instruction, and instruction must be specific to their needs. This model will help teachers know where they are with technology implementation and where they want to go.
This website provides resources for educational web tools and mobile apps. It provides teachers with resources for apps, summer reading lists, research tools, and podcasts that can be used to help integrate technology in the classroom. No matter what platform or devices your school or students have, this website has something for everyone. Free daily apps, suggestions for developing online portfolios, and subject specific content are available for use. Andrew Miller suggests in his webinar that students be exposed to various types of "texts". These texts could be in the form of online text books, music, podcasts, or films.
In his webinar, Andrew Miller addresses the needs for assessing students using technology and online resources. This website/blog provides teachers with links and suggestions for how and when to use technology to assess student growth. There is also a link for teachers that allows them to upload and design rubrics for their students. Using technology to formally assess students will help to keep them engaged and will allow the teacher instant feedback on the progress of his/her students.