PROS and CONS with Technology

Advantages of Integrating Technology

As we advance further into 21st century, technology is becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives, including our education system. Integrated technology makes learning possible even outside of the classroom wall which gives an opportunity for distance learning and also provides increased research opportunities. “Technology and interactive multimedia are more conducive to project-based learning. Students are engaged in their learning using these powerful tools, and can become creators and critics instead of just consumers (https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-importance).”  “Technology helps change the student/teacher roles and relationships: students take responsibility for their learning outcomes, while teachers become guides and facilitators. Technology lends itself as the multidimensional tool that assists that process (https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-importance).”  In my Social Studies class I will utilize the virtual field trips to help engage students with a more real life experience. Virtual field trips are “visits” students make with online sites to see places they could not easily go to in real life or that can help them get more out of trips they are able to take (Roblyer 2016. pg 343).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXjZbHuvalk&t=19s

Disadvantages of Integrating Technology

While technology can be a great addition to the classroom, it also can be a source of frustration for both the teacher and the student especially with my chosen subject, Social Studies. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and the natural sciences (Roblyer 2016. pg. 336). A disconnected youth is one disadvantage effect of technology in today’s world. People are attached to their screens almost 24/7, which is causing an entirely new set of social issues to pop up (http://futureofworking.com/10-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-technology-in-education/). While having an easy access to information may seem like a great thing, it can become a real problem in a test taking environment. Cell phones have made cheating easier than ever. You no longer have to figure out how to write all of the answers down, you can just look them up (http://futureofworking.com/10-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-technology-in-education/). Despite their obvious value and relevance to future citizens, social studies themes and topics are not usually among those included in statewide assessments (Roblyer 2016. pg. 338).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DME5aIod21w

Specific Activities, Programs, Etc.

Roblyer discuss ways to allow students to interact and enjoy social studies with activities such as: virtual field trip, adventure learning, and digital storytelling. With the virtual field students who may travel little, the wealth of images and information from virtual field trips helps them see and understand the variety of cultures, sights, and events outside their own communities (Roblyer 2016. Pg. 343). Adventure learning is an approach that lets students learn through real-world experiences, either by taking actual trips themselves with mentors or by following the explorations of others using distance tools (Roblyer 2016. pg. 344) Digital storytelling is a strategy that allows students to use a personal narrative to explore community-based history, politics, economics, and geography (Roblyer 2016. Pg. 344).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCeT6WO121I

Reference:
Youtube VIdeos
Roblyer, M.D. 2016 Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching

Software Tools in the Classroom

Materials Generators

• Materials generators help teacher and students produce instructional materials on paper and online (Roblyer p. 141). This resource is helpful for students and teachers. Google web designer is a helpful tool for animations https://www.google.com/webdesigner/.

• I would use the puzzle generator in my Social Science class http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/CrissCrossSetupForm.asp. This software allows students to enjoy their assignments while still learning.

Data Collections & Analysis Tools

• This tool helps teachers collect and organize information to provide feedback and support decision making (Roblyer p. 141). One great surveying tool is Survey Monkey https://www.surveymonkey.com/
• I will use the PowerSchool software tool in my classroom with the teachers, administrators, and parents to allow them to keep track with the students progress https://www.powerschool.com/.

Testing and Grading Tools

• Testing and grading tools allow collection and tracking of assessment information to measure student progress (Roblyer p. 142). Examples of some software program are electronic gradebook and test generators. GradeCam is a great tool to use for grading https://gradecam.com/.
• The software I will use in my classroom is Zipgrade https://www.zipgrade.com/. This software allows me to grade students test from my mobile device.

Graphic Tools

• Graphic tools allows teachers and students to create graphs and other visual data (Roblyer p. 142). Using the tool Tagul is a great way to make your word into art https://tagul.com/.
• I will use Canva in my classroom https://www.canva.com/. This software  creates graphs, posters, flyers and many other creative documents. I can use this software to send home important information to parents.

Planning and Organizing Tools

• Planning and organizing tools help organize ideas for writing and discussion; help organize, plan, and schedule activities (Roblyer p. 142). A great tool for planning projects is Thought Plan https://thoughtplan.com/.
• Tools that help teachers develop and document their descriptions of lessons are sometimes called lesson makers or lesson planners (Roblyer p.161). I will definitely use the Lesson Planning Software, My Lesson Planner, in my classroom to help cut down time with written planning. This link will get you started to a simple, easy, and more organized lesson planning https://www.mylessonplanner.com/.

Research and Reference Tools

• Research and reference tools include digital versions of encyclopedias, atlases and mapping tools, and dictionaries and thesauruses (Roblyer p. 162) Here is a tool for a government class http://www.loc.gov/rr/.
•  I am open to using different research and reference tools in my classroom. One software I am will try is Zotero. Zotero is the only research tool that automatically senses content in your web browser, allowing you to add it to your personal library with a single click https://www.zotero.org/.

Content-Area Tools

• Content-area tools support tasks specific to content areas such as technology education, music, reading, science, math, social studies, and foreign languages (Roblyer p.142). A great tool for language translation is google translator  https://translate.google.com/.
• In my Social Science class i would use the tool Epals http://www.epals.com/#/connections. This will allow my students to interact with students their age across the country. I can monitor their use and also set a age limit.

Digital Citizenship--The Web Life

Search Engines & Web Navigation:

M.D. Roblyer states that before the Internet, it was difficult to locate specific resources or items of information. Now there is so much information that companies have developed special searching programs to help us locate items called search engines (p.182 Roblyer). This new technology makes it easier for a student or a teacher to find information on a specific item or document. Instead of  reading books and other forms of research it is all at the tip of your fingers. All you have to do is type a keyword or ask a question and the search engine will retrieve the information related to the topic.

Website Evaluation:

In the video below, it explains how to identify if a web page is a credible source. The librarian gave the acronym CRAAP to help the students to remember when trying to determine the credibility of a source. I would use this technique in my classroom because it will catch the students attention and help them to remember the steps to follow. Watch as the students search for help to figure out how to recognize a credible source.

Favorite Professional Websites:

I chose two teaching websites that I would use in my classroom with my students to help keep them engaged in our daily lectures. My first website is www.teachertube.com, this website allows teachers to search for instructional videos in a secure environment. With this site I can search for catchy songs or phrases to share with my students to help them retain information that is taught in the classroom. This website can be checked off under media on the Website Evaluation Criteria Checklist. Graphics, video, and sound are included to help communicate on the topic; their purpose is not decorative (p 198 Roblyer). The second website i will use in my classroom is www.powtoon.com, to create a short animated clip to keep the students excited and interested in the lesson. This website will also challenge the students to create characters or create additional scenes from books. This website also falls under the media and visual design on the Website Evaluation Criteria Checklist. It adds interest and motivation for users, information is presented in an innovative and creative way (p.198 Roblyer).

Online Safety and Security:

The topic that stood out most to me was the Social Networking Sites(SNS). Social networking sites are websites that give members a space in which they can create a personal profile, contribute content, and connect and interact with others (p.190 Roblyer). The research on SNSs focused on young people and their use of social media. In a study of preteen use of social media, Weeden, Cooke, and McVey (2013) found that many young people begin using social media at age 9, and almost all were on Facebook by age 12. The children also acknowledged that they misrepresented their age in order to join Facebook, since the published age requirement was 13 (p.190 Roblyer). I believe that as a teacher we will do everything possible to make sure our students are using online safety. The best practice is show students the safest way to use online sites outside of the classroom.


Resources:

Roblyer, M.D. 2016. Intergrating Educatonal Technology into Teaching

Technology: The New Norm of Education

Three Basic Software Tools: Word processing, Spreadsheet, and Presentation

Word Processing Software

“Word processing programs essentially produce documents as a stream of text, whereas desktop publishing software produces them as individual pages.” (Roblyer pg. 112) As an educator, I would use the word processing software to help save time when making corrections or modifying any documents instead of creating new ones and it also will help enhance the appearance of the students’ documents. Although Word Processing is a very useful tool it also has some issues that educators often face. One of the issues is the effects of word processing on handwriting. “No researchers have conducted a formal study of the impact of frequent word processing use on handwriting legibility, computer users commonly complain that their handwriting isn’t what it used to be, ostensibly because of infrequent opportunities to use their handwriting skills.” (Roblyer pg. 116) “Although educators face many issues with this software, word processing continues to grow and educators find new ways to deal with the issues.” (Roblyer pg. 117)

Spreadsheet Software

“Spreadsheets are programs designed to organize and manipulate numerical data.” (Roblyer pg. 121) As an educator, I would use Spreadsheet Software to keep book of my students’ grades, attendance records, classroom budgets, and personal contact information. Although this tool may be beneficial to me as an educator, it may raise issues with my students. For example; students may begin to rely on spreadsheet to manually work out mathematical equations instead of properly learning the steps necessary to answer the questions by hand. Also if not properly input, the values in the spreadsheet can change the sum of the equations. This issue will cause the equation to be incorrect. “Just as with word processing, students new to spreadsheets must have time to develop skills in using the software before teachers can begin to grade their work.” (Roblyer pg. 125)

Presentation Software

“Presentation software is designed to display information, including text, images, audio, and video, in a slideshow format.” (Roblyer pg. 125) As an educator, I would use Presentation software to help grab the attention of my students so that he or she will be more willing to engage in classroom discussions. I was once a student in high school and teachers who bored me to death with reading the text from the books.  With a slideshow presentation I can gain my students’ attention with simple information and quick videos. Although presentations can be helpful it can also have issues along with it. "In a 2003 article entitled “PowerPoint is Evil,” Edward Tufte said that “the PowerPoint style routinely disrupts, dominates, and trivializes content. There are also complaints about the effects that using slide-based software has on teaching style and impact. Adams (2006) said that using PowerPoint makes educators reshape what they present in a way that is inconsistent with developing higher-level skills."(Roblyer pg. 129)

Classroom Use---Chosen Software: Presentation Software

I chose to use the Presentation Software in my classroom to keep my students engaged. As teenagers it can be hard to focus when there is not an interest in the subject presented. With the Presentation software I can deliver my student’s information with a visual concept, delivering simple context and quick videos. This allows information to be retained easier than to have a board full of irrelevant information that will soon be forgotten. Technology… The new norm of education.

Reference: 

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (7th ed).

YouTube Video (2015). Technology in Education