Post on 21-Dec-2015
Technology for Teachers: 20 Integration Techniques
Kim Peacock, M.Ed.Edmonton Public Schools
A Context…
Why?!
• Digital immigrants vs. digital natives (Mark Prensky)– Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants – Do They Really Think Differently?
• Kids THINK they know a lot about technology, but…
• Things can’t really be the way they “used to be” because kids aren’t built the way they used to be (cognitively and physically).
Some Warnings & Considerations…
•Socio-economic status •Prior skills (IMing and
downloading music vs. searching skills)
•Classroom management•Lack of knowledge of copyright
law (you, not them)
Some Warnings & Considerations…
•Administration (check sites, give them email addresses, etc…)
•Assessment (why assess a tool when we don’t normally assess tool use)? This is a hot topic…
Foundational Skills
• Searching (and, -, quotations, advanced search) - http://www.google.ca/help/basics.html
• Discrimination of Information - http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic32.htm
• Media Awareness - http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/index.cfm
Where are You?
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/edtalk/tef.htm
20 Ways to Integrate Technology
Low Level Integration
1. Online Information Repositories
• Allows classrooms to have the most up to date information.– Social studies: Current events
comparison– Science/CTS: Innovation (
http://www.newscientist.com/home.ns, http://www.wired.com/ )
– ELA: Book reviews, author blogs (http://www.jkrowling.com/ )
– Foods: Recipes online (http://allrecipes.com/ )
2. Scavenger Hunts
• Lower level but makes finding information more fun for them (rather than hunting through a textbook).
• Can be low or high level - give them the URLs or test their searching skills.
• Examples: http://www.usiouxfalls.edu/~apeter/scavenger_hunts.htm
3. Virtual Field Trips
• Cultural -http://www.themoscowtimes.com/travel_guide.html
• Geographic - http://www.japan-guide.com/ , http://www.artsalive.ca/en/eth/index.html
• Historical - http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/ , http://search.eb.com/dday
3. Virtual Field Trips
• Local sites at http://www.2learn.ca/mapset/virtfieldtrips/virtftmuseums.html
• Hint: Context is key, just like in a real trip. Give them a focus – ask them to identify a favourite artefact or something that surprised them, etc…
4. Virtual Exhibits
• Like virtual field trips but more focused on knowledge.
• Examples:– http://
www.virtualmuseum.ca/English/index_flash.html
– http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/– http://www.exploratorium.com
5. Discussion Boards & Chats
• Make them truly purposeful! Cultural exchanges, experts, etc…
• I strongly discourage individual participation unless the environment is password protected (ie/ Yahoo or Google Groups, district service)
6. Video On Demand & Multimedia• New curriculum in ELA and SS
focuses on media awareness (beyond books).
• There is a lot of video out there…– http://www.brainpop.com/ – http://www.histori.ca/default.do?page
=.index– http://www.unitedstreaming.com/– http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/
news/WFive.html– http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/video.html– http://www.starfall.com/
7. Simulations
• Like games but require little to no active participation besides clicking forward.
• Examples:– http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanb
ody/body/interactives/lifecycle/teenagers/
– http://www.sfskids.org/templates/instorchframe.asp?pageid=3
– http://www.froguts.com – http://www.sodaplay.com/constructor/ – http://www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Ar
ea=L2_Engineering
– http://illuminations.nctm.org/– http://
www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspResourceCatalog
20 Ways to Integrate Technology
Medium Level Integration
8. Creating Presentations
• This has been done for years, but is still useful in the classroom.
• Try giving students specific criteria for inclusion (ie/ 2 images, 1 sound clip, 1 movie) as well as limits length wise.
• Assess the content more than (or instead of) the skill of technology use. We don’t mark handwriting…
9. Creating Web Pages
• By division 3 students should be creating multi-paged web sites (ICT outcomes).
• They don’t have to know programming code anymore (nor do you).http://pages.google.com/
• Another option: http://www.protopage.com/
• http://www.protopage.com/yzerman19
10. Gaming
• Like simulations but require active decision making.
• Can be high level: http://www.civ3.com/ ,• http://www.mpogd.com/games/game.asp?I
D=2074 , http://www.engineeringinteract.org/
• Can be low level: http://www.bconnex.net/%7Ekidworld/java/lemonade/lemonade.htm , http://www.iknowthat.com , http://www.edheads.org/, http://www.rainforestmaths.com
• Must read for game learning: Mark Prensky
11. Videoconferencing
• Sometimes impractical but it can provide meaningful experiences.
• Uses: Expert exchange, cultural exchange, virtual tour, meetings.
• You are in a VC triad…• Directories:
– http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/directory.cfm
– http://www.global-leap.com/
• Alberta Network: – http://www.2learn.ca/rln/rlnrls.html
12. Google Earth and Geocaching
• Google Earth has become a powerful educational tool.– Bringing historical events alive– Surface area scavenger hunt– http://blog.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/20
06/02/05/google-earth-in-education/
• Geocaching is trendy in outdoor education right now. It’s a GPS scavenger hunt.– http://www.geocachingedmonton.com
20 Ways to Integrate Technology
(Potentially) High Level Integration
13. Inquiry-Based Activities (Webquests)
• Goes beyond a scavenger hunt and has student find information to perform a task.
• http://edweb.sdsu.edu/WebQuest/taskonomy.html: retelling, compilation, mystery, journalistic, design, creative product, consensus building, persuasion, self-knowledge, analytical, judgemental, scientific
• http://www.webquest.org/ (don’t re-invent the wheel).
• See brochure project example.
14. Telecollaborative Projects
• Pen-pals for the 21st century.• Can be chat, discussion, email or
videoconferencing based.• Directories:
– http://www.2learn.ca/projects/projectcentre/exjoproj.html (local)
– http://www.epals.com (global)
15. Spreadsheets
• Spreadsheets fit naturally in many areas: Math, science, social and health.
• Fantastic spreadsheet activities:– http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/tech
knowpark/FreeFall/Resources.html– http://standards.nctm.org
/document/eexamples/chap5/5.5/
16. Databases
• Statistics Canada E-Stat - http://estat.statcan.ca/
• ALIS Database - http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/occinfo/Content/RequestAction.asp?format=html&aspAction=GetHomePage&Page=Home
• If you decide to build one, really try to make it meaningful for them (give them a reason to need one – ie/ survey results, science investigation results, career research results).
17. Multimedia & Visual Representation
• Using images, sounds and motion to express and represent oneself.
• Requires investment in digital cameras, microphones, video cameras, etc…
• Can be simple (ie/ using Windows Movie Maker to express outcomes - http://www.lati.ualberta.ca/html/secondaryelaresources.html ) or complex (ie/ creating videos, historical re-enactments, parodies, etc…)
• See examples…
18. Blogs & Wikis
• Blogs (or weblogs) are online journals that are as easy to create as hotmail accounts.
• Can be 1-D (http://www.blogger.com) or multi-D (http://www.21publish.com)
• Examples: http://www.lati.ualberta.ca/html/elementaryelaresources.html
Blogs and Wikis
•Wikis are collaborative web sites where users can add pages and/or bits of info.
•http://www.wikispaces.com , http://pbwiki.com
•http://stratford78logos0607.pbwiki.com/
19. Audioblogs & Podcasting
• Using a recording application to create audio journals, news shows, old fashioned radio shows, etc…
• Can be simple (click record and go) or complex (mixing, editing, etc…)
• Example:http://room17.meyokumin.ca/
• Danger! FOIPP and Security for blogs, wikis, audioblogs & podcasts – use password protection and turn off comments.
20. Cognitive Mapping
• Most popular software is Inspiration, which is available free courtesy of the province of Alberta (http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/technology/nr/inspiration.asp)
• There are other good options out there such as CMap (http://cmap.ihmc.us/) which allows you to concept map collaboratively over distances!
• See examples…
A Note on Other Software
• Note that there is really good software out there (some free) that you can be using:
– Pivot Stickfigure Animator (LA/Health/SS)http://www.snapfiles.com/get/stickfigure.html , examples
– Geometer’s sketchpad (Math) http://www.keypress.com/sketchpad/
– Calorie & exercise counters (Health/PE) http://www.calorieking.com/
A Note on Other Software
–Digital music creation software http://www.looplabs.com/
–Graphic Design (see examples) http://www.getpaint.net/index2.html
–3D modelling (see examples)–http://sketchup.google.com/
Where are You?
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/edtalk/tef.htm
Other Resources
Teacher Resources
• Best of the Web – http://www.bestoftheweb.ca
• LaTI Project (U of A) – http://www.lati.ualberta.ca
• MASS Learns - http://www.masslearns.com
• Education World: Technology - http://www.educationworld.com/#Technology
Other Good Links
• Edutopia - http://www.edutopia.org/
• Apple Learning Interchange - http://ali.apple.com/
• The Committed Sardine Blog - http://homepage.mac.com/iajukes/blogwavestudio/
• Elizabeth Daley – http://www.ualberta.ca/~kpeacock/docs/ElizabethDaleyBetter.html
Technology Leadership and PD Links
• North Central Regional Education Lab - http://www.ncrel.org/tech/tpd/index.html
• ISTE - http://www.iste.org/ (their books are especially good)
• Edutopia (George Lucas Foundation) - http://www.edutopia.org/ (especially the professional development topic).
Must Reads
• Leading in a Culture of Change by Michael Fullan
• Windows on the Future : Education in the Age of Technology by Ian Jukes and Ted McCain
• Modeling with Technology : Mindtools for Conceptual Change by David H. Jonassen
• Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson
• Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century by David Franklin Warlick
Stay Inspired…
http://www.edutopia.org/Video Library