Effective Technology Integration in Lesson Planning
As an ITS for a school district, I have the opportunity to deliver classes to teachers on how to incorporate technology into their lessons. It is one of the best parts of my job. But, recently, I have noticed some improvements that can be made for both training and lesson planning.
As a technology trainer, I have noticed that it is much too easy to focus professional development on just the technology tools. Teachers like to learn a simple and easy to use technology. Also, it easier to create a session based around introducing or showcasing a technology. But, focusing on just the tools themselves is putting the cart before the horse. Technology should never be driving a lesson. Instead, technology should supplement the lesson. Deliverers of professional learning need to focus more on helping teachers incorporate technology and less on introducing them to new technologies. In a later post, I will cover how to train teachers in this skill.
If we think about our own lives and technology, we use technology organically. When I want to make a phone call, I reach for the easiest and quickest device to accomplish the task. For me, my smartphone, which is usually in my pocket, is the easiest and quickest. Before cell phones, I would delay my call until I was near a landline. But, think about how I am using technology in that situation. The technology is not driving the task; the task is driving the technology. If I break it down, the steps that govern my action in either case are:
Consider another example. I want to see if the newest movie is playing at a theater near me.
A Suggestion for Professional Development
As a technology trainer, I have noticed that it is much too easy to focus professional development on just the technology tools. Teachers like to learn a simple and easy to use technology. Also, it easier to create a session based around introducing or showcasing a technology. But, focusing on just the tools themselves is putting the cart before the horse. Technology should never be driving a lesson. Instead, technology should supplement the lesson. Deliverers of professional learning need to focus more on helping teachers incorporate technology and less on introducing them to new technologies. In a later post, I will cover how to train teachers in this skill.
Lesson Planning Introduction
If we think about our own lives and technology, we use technology organically. When I want to make a phone call, I reach for the easiest and quickest device to accomplish the task. For me, my smartphone, which is usually in my pocket, is the easiest and quickest. Before cell phones, I would delay my call until I was near a landline. But, think about how I am using technology in that situation. The technology is not driving the task; the task is driving the technology. If I break it down, the steps that govern my action in either case are:
Cell Phone | Landline |
1. Decide that I need to complete a task (making a phone call) | 1. Decide that I need to complete a task (making a phone call) |
2. Determine the most appropriate and efficient tool to complete the task (cell phone) | 2. Determine the most appropriate and efficient tool to complete the task (landline) |
3. Complete the task using the tool (make the call) | 3. Complete the task using the tool (make the call) |
Consider another example. I want to see if the newest movie is playing at a theater near me.
Smartphone | Newspaper |
1. Decide that I need to complete a task (finding a movie time) | 1. Decide that I need to complete a task (finding a movie time) |
2. Determine the most appropriate and efficient tool to complete the task (cell phone) | 2. Determine the most appropriate and efficient tool to complete the task (newspaper) |
3. Complete the task using the tool (launch browser or app) | 3. Complete the task using the tool (find the listings in the paper) |
Analysis
What you should be noticing is that the process in both cases remains the same, but the tool selected is different. The best improvement that technology has brought to education is freedom of information and freedom of choice. Instead of only having one or two options for accomplishing a task or demonstrating a skill, students have hundreds of options. Consider the following skill from the Common Core that students are expected to learn and demonstrate and the options they had 40 years ago and today.
Today | 40 Years Ago |
1. Publish a text the student has created. a. post to social media b. post to a blog c. email the document to a list of users d. record a podcast and publish the text in show notes e. photograph the text and post to Twitter, Instagram, etc. g. electronically submit to online magazines, journals, etc. h. in addition, everything from the list to the right | 1. Publish a text the student has created. a. post the text on a wall b. possibly duplicate and distribute c. submit to a print publication |
Notice the options for demonstrating learning that technology has provided. And, this example is not even touching on collaborative writing and content creation!
Tips for Integrating Technology in Lessons
1. Write the lesson without incorporating technology at all.
Decide what you want students to be able to do. What skills should they demonstrate? What type of product are they creating?
2. Look over the lesson and determine if a technology tool could make any part of the lesson more efficient or more relevant.
For instance, if students are examining the skill of averaging numbers, you can incorporate technology to make the skill more relevant than just taking a handful of numbers, adding them together, and dividing. Have the students look at sports statistics on the internet. Ask them to find a MLB player's batting average. Ask them to describe how that number is determined. Ask what affects that average.
3. Let the students choose the tool.
Instead of writing a lesson that mandates using a single tool to demonstrate learning, allow the students to choose. For instance, if students need to present the findings of a lab experiment, let them decide if they want to publish text, a video, visuals, slideshow, etc. Students like to work with technology with which they are familiar (just like us!). Let them do that.
4. Be a role model.
When you are presenting information to a class, use technologies with which you are familiar. Show the students how you accomplish a skill (finding a movie time, determining your gas mileage, planning your day, etc.). Students will pick up the technologies and skills that are useful to them from you.
5. Lastly, relax.
We educators have such difficulty in releasing control. We worry about internet filters, how students accomplish a task, are they doing it the right way, and on and on. Let the students take control of their learning.
A Final Word
Think back to the example of the baseball statistics. If the students really became interested and are properly questioned, the lesson could grow into something amazing. They might start with determining how a batting average is calculated. But, what if you asked them why a player's post-season average is different from their regular season? Imagine all the factors that could affect that difference. The students might look at the weather. Perhaps the player plays home games in a warm climate and the Playoffs and World Series are hosted in a cold climate. The students would have to look up weather data and game times. They could explain why the change in climate could cause a different in batting average. You would see students combining math, biology, meteorology, statistics, and research into something astonishing. Isn't that what we want?
Comments
Post a Comment