Reflect on the idea of what a technology-infused classroom looks like. What does a technology infused classroom look like?  How do you plan to have a technology-infused classroom?

            Thinking about infusing technology into my classroom is a concept I've had for a few years now and the idea has really intrigued me.  In my own classroom, I envisioned my students bustling about independently, creating individual products, assisting one another, and collaborating to create assignments together. Students interact during large group assignments with the interactive white board as lessons really come to life and true learning occurs. Students are engaged! They investigate, ask questions, and seek answers. This room is exciting and the students never tire of learning.

            The physical layout of the classroom includes a listening center over in one sunny corner of the room, several student computers with the latest product-creating software, a math table full of manipulatives and calculators, a writing center, complete with interesting colored paper and pencils for writing and editing, an organized and full reading library, and finally, student desks which are clustered into groups of four to five for easy group work and collaboration.

            Technology is used as a resource in the learning process -- for information retrieval, communicating with others, building models of solutions, engaging in simulations, and making presentations. Students are not given "technology activities," rather technology is used to support instructional activities. Technology "products" are rich in content as opposed to being focused on technology use. Students make use of the computer as needed during an instructional activity (with "How-To" sheets to guide them through any tech use that may be new to them), in addition to or as opposed to during an assigned time.

            Having the room ready for learning is a first step. A major component of truly attaining my goal is to make certain to have planned accordingly.  Creating effective lessons that support learning through the appropriate use of technology and media is the systematic selection of your instructional strategies, the technology and media, and the lesson materials. In order to positively impact the 21st century learner one must conscientiously plan to implement technology and then strategically embed it into the course content so that its use is meaningful and the overarching educational goals are met.

            The room is filled with resources -- technology, books, maps, manipulatives, videotapes, models, and so forth -- so that students have a variety of ways to approach a concept or skill and are not limited to the teacher and textbook. Students use resources as they need them, demonstrating an understanding of what is available to them. The room includes some special-purpose areas for use of limited resources.

            The room is designed for learning -- to view teaching as a means of learning, to foster collaboration, yet provide for individuals to work apart from others when desired. The room is designed with student input and is decorated to some extent by the students.

            This vision has not completely materialized yet but I am eagerly working towards the day in which it will.

References:

Leister, J., (2008), Three phases of educational technology, Youtube, retrieved October 30, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ir4-EFVhzI

Enhance Technology with Visual Literacy

How can visual literacy and the use of Internet impact the teaching and learning process in the classroom? What are some visual-thinking strategies you would like to use in your classroom? What role do you want the Internet play in your classroom?

            One of the greatest technological impacts on both Further and Higher education management and academic activities has been the Worldwide Web and Web-related technologies which are capable of delivering and supporting vast amounts of visual data. A keyword search for learning and teaching resources in almost any subject area on the Web is likely to return numerous examples containing visual content ranging widely in format, quality and quantity. Visual images are increasingly appearing in learning and teaching resources, delivered across a range of media in a variety of formats: digitally in Web-based materials and multimedia as well as in other formats such as print and transparencies. Technology has developed very quickly to where it is now possible to support visual and multimedia formats on wireless devices, often delivered at anytime to any place. Therefore, visual literacy and the use of Internet impacts teaching and learning process for both teacher and students.

            It is clear that children are able to draw upon a range of experiences and competencies in order to represent meaning with a visual image. The interaction of these elements is an important part of the process. Visual form and design are also influenced by the techniques available with the new technology used in the classroom. As a technology, teacher it is essential to provide children with clear direction to help them understand the ways in which these elements interacted with each other and contributed to a particular message. Visual thinking includes a number of ways of making students thinking visible to themselves, to their peers, and to their teacher so they get more engaged by it when technology integrated. Consequently, using the Internet and other technology components enables the interaction of the elements to be developed in ways not easily available to the learners in the use of other media by developing their externalize thoughts through visual literacy and technology.

Visual –Thinking Strategies that I could use in my classroom to enrich and enhance students learning. The learning strategies are design to help deepen students understanding in all content area, faster thinking skills and that would greatly motivate their learning.

• Students will explore visible thinking techniques that will allow the learners to speak, write and/or draw their ideas and thoughts to deepen their understanding of a particular topic.
• PowerPoint presentations to enhance lecture learning about Christopher Columbus and his voyage to America.
• Students will be mapping the journey from Spain to America by using images and diagrams that plot the course the three ships took to draw information, take notes while learning map skills.
• Charts to graph how long it took to make the trip, by counting the months and days this allows students to visualize time or varying proportions.
• Student-created WebPages and interactive movies (using iMovie, Windows, Moviemaker) to demonstrate their understanding of the topic.

            In response to the role that the Internet plays in my classroom is focused around technology should be positive, perhaps reflective in nature and show quality of the working experience. Students should be able to realize and extend their visual ideas through experimentation and change; to work as practitioners producing high quality outcomes for a legitimate audience and view themselves as working with a technology which is valued in their culture. They were optimistic and unquestioning of the technology’s capabilities to produce what they wanted. Students will learn to work with confidence and perseverance while demonstrating their work using other visual media. It is important to teach the students not to set limitations of the technology, but focus on ways in which they feel that the final product is “real”, contrasting it with their efforts in other visual literacy areas.

            In addition to knowing the appropriate use of technology to handle and communicate information, a critical understanding of its implications for the individual, the immediate context and the wider society is needed. Technological literacy enables teachers to “theories technology and avoid becoming trapped into coping with ill-considered and unwise implementation” The ability to read technology in educational and cultural terms would support teachers in evaluating both the daily classroom practices and the wider contexts in which educational technology policies are devised.

Instructional Strategies in the 21st Century

Describe the importance of the using a variety of instructional strategies and the value they add to education of students in the 21st century.  Evaluate the role technology plays in the implementation of various instructional strategies.  How will this impact your teaching of students in the 21^st century? 

            The importance of the using a variety of instructional strategies in a technology enriched classroom is to ensure you provide various strategies to meet the needs of the learner. It is important to understand that instructional strategies consist of a range from direct teacher-centered presentation to independent student-center problem-solving. When using instructional strategies it is essential to recognize that there are several components to address that include both content and learning outcomes, the instructional experiences, technology and media, a learning environment, and students.  Well-planned instructional strategies incorporate technology and media promote learning regardless of the subject matter, the learners, or the learning environment. There are several ways to ensure students are provided with instructional strategies in the classroom. The instructional strategies are as follows:  presentation, demonstration, drill-and-practice, tutorial, discussion, cooperative learning, games, stimulation, discovery, and problem solving. Therefore, when planning your strategies there are some essential factors you need to consider before teaching students in a 21^st century environment. Before selecting the appropriate strategies for effective instruction the teacher must consider the following aspects to help guide the teacher in the right direction. Assessing student’s prior knowledge, consider individual differences in learning, state the objectives for you and the students, develop meta-cognitive skills to make them lifelong learners

The role technology plays in the implementation of various instructional strategies is based on the selective strategies and the assignment assigned by the teacher and the group of learners. When instruction is teacher-centered, technology is used to support the presentation of instruction.  For example when the teacher wants to introduce the students to a new mathematic skill she could use the Promethean board and a flip chart about Geometric shapes and angles. On the other hand, when instruction is student centered, students are the primary users of technology. For example after the teacher has introduced the class to lesson and presented the task. The students will work in small groups at the computer center engaging in a math skills and activities in a virtual learning environment where students can practice and receive instant feedback to support learning.

            Teachers have a significant impact on their students learning as 21^st century citizen. This is done by creating an appropriate learning environment and selecting the appropriate instructional strategies to meet the needs of all the learners in the classroom. As a result of selecting effective instructional strategies to help implement learning in their classroom influence the learning outcome. Therefore it is imperative that the teacher to be selective in the choices of instructional strategies that will be used during learning and teaching. Also the role of the teacher changes to facilitator of knowledge acquisition to ensure your students gain new knowledge and skills.