Blog #1: Technology Integration in the Classroom
Summary:
Technology in the classroom can be very beneficial to students’ success.
Teachers must decide on which type of technology would provide the essential
skills needed to increase the chance for success in each student. This article
states two popular, yet controversial, types of integration: direct instruction
and constructivist instruction. Direct instruction focuses heavily on the
teacher leading instruction and using technology as a tutorial for students.
Preprogrammed software and online skill assessment activities are examples of
direct instruction. Constructivist instruction focuses more on the technology
being used to motivate students to learn new skills that can be applied to
previously learned skills.
Reflection:
Direct instruction and constructivist instruction can both be beneficial to the
student as long as I make a knowledgeable decision on which type of technology
methods connects sufficiently to the teaching objectives needed to be reached.
Directed instruction is more assessment based while constructivist instruction
is more engaging. Alternating between the two methods will allow me to promote,
motivate, and assess student learning. Depending on the material being taught, as
well as the activities associated, I will be engaging students in the
curriculum and reinforcing previous topics we have covered.
Entry (10th
grade ELAR): In my classroom, your child will use technology following
direct instruction. Students will practice grammar through an educational
website. This website is designed to provide practice grammar drills to
students in the form of a game. The game covers the grammar taught in class and
serves as a tool to assess whether or not students are able to apply the material
covered in class to grammatically incorrect sentences. Your child will also be
expected to use technology through a constructivist instruction approach. Through
the use of PowerPoint, students will learn to create bubble charts. This
technological approach allows students to successfully organize information
they have gathered for their essays.
