What is Effective Technology Integration for 21st Century Learners?

What is Effective Technology Integration for 21st Century Learners



How difficult is it to integrate technology into a classroom of 21st Century learners? Not that difficult. In fact, a whole classroom of PS1 students, the majority over the age of 22, successfully created a blog last week. Did the instructor hold each of our hands and take us step by step through the entire process to ensure we would all succeed? No, she didn't have to. She pointed us to blogger.com and said, "create a blog." Students figuring out how a technology works is actually a more effective learning strategy than teaching them step by step how to use said technology.


The way to integrate a certain technology into a lesson plan is to write your lesson plan, then figure which technology (if any) would be most suited to that lesson plan. You can not just use the latest technology in the lesson because it is the latest technology, it's cool and you want to use it (Dr. Lorraine Beaudin, Ed 3508, Sept 16, 2010). Work the technology around the lesson, not the lesson around the technology.


Technology needs to be incorporated right in to the core subjects, so that technology becomes a part of every day life for students. A teacher could incorporate email in to a class by having their students email 'penpals' in another part of the city, country or world. This would incorporate technology into a Language Arts class on writing letters, it would also give the students Global Awareness if they were emailing students in another part of the world. This could also be used in Social Studies. Check out epals.com.


The internet makes it easier to collaborate. Students need to collaborate in all subjects and one way they can do that is through Google Docs. Even when they are in the same room, students can work on a document or presentation together using Google Docs, it updates when a student saves it, and it also automatically updates a few seconds after a change has been made. This is also effective for work that needs to be completed outside of class time, because then the students can still work on their group projenct, even if they are all at home (provided they each have a computer or some other device with internet access).


Blogging in the classroom can be another way to incorporate technology into teaching. A student's blog can be where they post assignments, and articulate their thoughts and feelings about the assignments. They can then be used by the teacher to view the assignments and also to judge how well the assignment worked. It can also be used for the student as a way to assess their own growth throughout the year as they look back at past assignments. It can also be used by the student as a way to vent about the assignment. Also, if students are posting their work online where other student's and potentially other people online will view their work, they may work harder on it and have more pride in their work.


When students are doing research for an assignment, the teacher can point them in the direction of journals that are online, and also ebooks, and even blogs. The school will have access to certain online material for free and if pointed in that direction, the student's will learn how to use those tools. Teachers just need to teach students how to be sure the information they are finding online is accurate.


There are also many online interactive games for every grade level and every subject. A teacher could even create one (if he or she knows how!) Interactive games are a great way to get student's involved and is a different way of getting the materials across that may be more effective for some students.