Integrating Technology into the Classroom for the 21st Century

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Integrating Technology into the Classroom for the
21st Century
Website lsd.k12.mi.us/macul

• Carolyn McCarthy
• cmccarthy_at_voyager.net

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Integrating Technology
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Research about educational technology in Michigan

• 90 percent of Michigan's students 1.4 million
  - sit in classes with teachers who are unprepared
  to use technology
• 1998, Michigan 44th in the nation for teacher
  training in technology.
• School districts offer no incentives for teachers
  to use technology.

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Research about educational technology in Michigan

• Teachers who are proficient in technology have
  minimal technical support for their efforts.
• 40 percent of Michigan's school districts do not
  include professional development days that allow
  teachers to learn or upgrade their technology and
  computer skills.

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Technology integration is having the curriculum
drive technology usage, not having technology
drive the curriculum.
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Schooling is not about information. Its
getting kids to think about information. Its
about understanding and knowledge and wisdom.
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The Need

• Teachers and administrators are recognizing that
  computer skills should not be taught in
  isolation, and that separate computer classes
  do not really help students learn to apply
  computer skills in meaningful ways.
• We need to Integrate technology into the content
  areas

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Integration of skills

• Effective integration of information skills has
  two requirements.
• skills must directly relate to the content area
  curriculum and to classroom assignments
• the skills themselves need to be tied together in
  a logical and systematic information process model

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Collaboration for Integration

• Schools seeking to move from isolated computer
  skills instruction will also need
• integrated information skills training
• teams of curriculum steering members, technology
  integrators media specialists, and administration
  
• Involvement in collaborative projects

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Putting it together

• Teams of professionals supported by the
  administration
• Library media specialists, technology leaders and
  classroom teachers need to work together to
  develop units and lessons that will include both
  computer skills, general information skills, and
  content-area curriculum outcomes

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On a broader scale

• State departments of education are working to
  create curriculum-technology Internet resources

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Yes, there are success stories

• Change can be uncomfortable for some
• Who moved my cheese?
• Leadership Is Crucial
• Vision Directs All Efforts
• The Negative Must Be Minimized
• Staff Must Make the Decisions
• Everyone Becomes a Teacher to provide, share, and
  create learning environments for the 21st Century

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Student Skills for the 21st Century

• Students need to be able to use computers
  flexibly, creatively, and purposefully
• All learners should be able to recognize what
  they need to accomplish (cognition), determine
  whether a computer will help them to do so, and
• then be able to use the computer as part of the
  problem-solving process of accomplishing their
  task

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Barriers to Integration

• What research is indicating

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Access - Access - Access

• We use what we have, to the best of our ability
• 1 out of 5 teachers spend their own for
  software

• Age of computer
• 5 years or older
• Number of computers (5)
• Internet connection

Technology Counts 99 Building the Digital
Curriculum Education Week September 1999
www.edweek.org
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Teacher Training

• Good News Training makes a difference
• Teachers felt, better prepared to integrate
  technology into their classroom lessons
• More likely to use and rely on digital content
  for instruction
• More likely to spend time trying out software and
  searching for Web sites..

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Type of Training

• Only 42 of teachers had more than five hours
  of training in basic technology skills last year.

• Only 29 of teachers say they had more than
  five hours of technology training in curriculum
  integration in the last year.

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Teacher Use Growing Fast in The Last Year

• From 39 to 65 Use of school-based e-mail
• From 33 to 54 Majority of teachers in the
  school use the Internet for instruction
• From 47 to 69 Daily use of computers

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Typical Science Classroom Use

• In Science ClassWord processing ..
  41Simulations/science explorations..
  22Spreadsheet or database.. 17
• Computers are being used more often for
  word-processing and low end applications.

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Why arent computers being used in classrooms for
higher order processes and applications other
than word-processing?

• A moment to think...

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Barriers to Effective Use

• Insufficient numbers of computers 71
• Lack of software integrated with the
  curriculum 60
• Lack of technical support 49
• Lack of understanding of how tointegrate the
  technology 45(Principals selected this as the
  main barrier)

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Software Integrated With Curriculum

• Only 12 of teachers say their state or district
  provides lists of software matching curriculum
  standards
• - Florida Educational Software Catalogwww.itrc.uc
  f.edu/doecat/
• North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
  www.evalutech.sreb.org

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Software Integrated With Curriculum

• 69 high school teachers say it is difficult to
  find instructional software
• Internet curriculum
• Kathy Schrocks Guide for Educatorsschool.discove
  ry.com/shrockguide
• Learning needs w/ state standardshttp//www.explo
  rasource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/explorasource
• MarcoPolo http//www.marcopolosearch.org/
• Curriculum Orchestrator www.mediaseek.com/educator
  s/

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Curriculum linked with State Standards

• Achievehttp//www.achieve.org
• McRELhttp//www.mcrel.org
• Classroom Connectwww.classroom.com
• New York Times Learning Networkhttp//www.nytimes
  .com

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Integrating Technology into the Curriculum

• Only 20 of teachers felt very well prepared to
  integrate technology
• Integration training has a greater impact on
  teacher use than basic skills training

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Teacher Levels of Integration

• Entry
• Adoption
• Adaptation
• Appropriation
• Invention

Online assessment at www.milkenexchange.org/pcc/ M
ichigan Virtual University self-assessment www.miv
u.org
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What to Do?

• Be assertive !!! Ask for training
• Set learning goals PTLP
• Build your own skills online
• Learn from others peers students
• Attend hands-on workshops and MACUL
• READ, READ, READ, and Share
• Experiment and challenge yourself

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What can we do?
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Challenge yourself, but dont do it all alone
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What are the Barriers to Technology Integration?

• Insufficient Resources - computers
• Curriculum Integrated software
• Technical support
• Integration training
• Time, Drive Guts

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• " The key for success is to help teachers see how
  technology provides a new way to teach subject
  matter, and is not an add-in or additional burden
  on their already busy professional lives.
• Schools and districts can help teachers by
  providing regular time in the schedule for
  learning, experimenting, and professional growth."

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More great web sites
www.education-world.com
www.essdack.org/tammy.htm
ali.apple.com
www.fatihun.edu.tr/Dept/English/ELT/lessonp.html
www.kconnect.com/
www.aps.k12.co.us/east/bestweb/bestweb
www.classroomconnect.com
www.EDsOasis.org/Treasure/Oracle.html
www.gsn.com
www.scrtec.org/track/index.html
education.nasa.gov/
www.teacherzone.com/kb/classroom_resources01.html
www.discoveryschool.com
discoveryschool.com/schrockguide/index.html
www.liszt.com
www.louverture.com
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More online resources

• Listserv Innovative-teachers-subscribe_at_eGroups.c
  om
• WebQuests - Another model for extended research
  on demanding questions http//edweb.sdsu.edu/webq
  uest/webquest.html
• From Now On The Educational Technology Journal
  http//fno.org

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Bibliography

• Carr, Jo Ann, Information Literacy and Teacher
  Education, Eric Digest, 1998.
• Dockstader, Jolene, Teachers of the 21st Century
  Know the What, Why, and How of Technology
  Integration, T.H.E. Journal Online, January
  1999.
• Education In A New Era. ASCD Yearbook 2000 edited
  by Ronald S. Brandt
• Eisenberg, Michael B. and Doug Johnson, Computer
  Skills for Information Problem-Solving Learning
  and Teaching Technology in Context. Eric Digest,
  1996.
• Glaser, Robert and Lauren Resnick, National
  Research Center on Student Learning, Eric
  Digest, December 1991. Thanks for joining us
• Healey, Jane, Why Kids Dont Need Computers,
  1998, lthttp//www.salonmagazine.com/21st/books/19
  98/08/26books.htmlgt
• Integrating Technology Into the Curriculum,
  Educational Leadership, February 1999
• Technology Counts 99 Building the Digital
  Curriculum Education Week September 1999
  www.edweek.org