Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Chapter 10/How has technology impacted instructional design? 1
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[edit] How has Technology Impacted Instructional Design?
by Mary Ellen Naglieri
In 2001 the federal government constructed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which President Bush signed into law in January, 2002. This piece of legislation aims to end the achievement gap between economic and ethnic groups and improve academic performance of all students by 2014. All states are required to reexamine their standards, set targets for improvement, introduce rigorous testing, and give options to parents. The NCLB stresses the importance of state and local educational leaders to develop a plan that effectively integrates technology to enhance learning and increase K-12 student achievement. President George W. Bush stated, “We cannot assume that our schools will naturally drift toward using technology effectively. We must commit ourselves to staying the course and making the changes necessary to reach our goals of educating every child. These are ambitious goals, but they are goals worthy of a great nation such as ours. Together, we can use technology to ensure that no child is left behind.” (NETP)
Technology has become integrated into every aspect of our lives. Today’s parents are realizing that their children need the skills necessary to excel in a technology-rich society. They are expecting the schools to offer those skills. Technology in the schools can no longer be looked at as a separate subject. Technology today should be infused in all subject areas to enhance learning content. In order for technology integration to work schools must make sure technology tools and resources are an integral part of both the teaching and learning process if they are to have an impact on student achievement.
What is technology integration? In the past when it came to technology the focus was on students learning about the computer itself and the software programs installed. When time allowed students would rotate in front of the computer and do practice drills. Teachers used computers mainly for administrative purposes such as creating tests. Due to both state and federal mandates, ideas on how to use and integrate technology are rapidly changing. Teachers are starting to use technology as a means to guide, expand, and enhance the objectives of the lesson they are teaching. Virginia is one of many states that has implemented sets of technology standards that both the student and teachers must meet. Written on the introduction page of the Computer Technology Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools, the Department of Education states, “Computer/technology proficiency is not an end in itself, but lays the foundation for continuous learning. The focus is on learning using technology rather than learning about technology. To become technologically proficient, the student must develop the skills through integrated activities in all content areas K-12, rather than through one specific course. These skills should be introduced and refined collaboratively by all K-12 teachers as an integral part of the learning process.” Teachers are now reevaluating lesson plans to see how technology can enhance the objective. Instead of a basic math lesson on the types of angles a teacher might incorporate a technology hands-on approach to teaching the objective. Students equipped with digital cameras go out on walking tours of the school grounds taking pictures of the angles around them. The students then download the pictures and outline the different angles using a graphic arts program. So instead of just reading the text book or labeling angles on paper the students are relating the lesson to the world around them.
Throughout the last decade alone, there has been an explosion in the amount of information available through the Internet. For teachers and students the Internet is fast becoming a tool that is highly supportive of technology integration. Students are, for example, exploring WebQuests, creating Digital or Electronic Portfolios, doing virtual dissections, and using e-mail and E-Pals to communicate with other students in the United States or around the world. Students are attuned when they are actively engaged with their learning. Using technology-based strategies makes the student an active participant. Students develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills that often translate into higher levels of student achievement. The learning environment is positively affected by the use of technology-based instructional strategies.
For most schools the continuation of a technology infused lesson stops at the school’s front door. Teachers are being held accountable to teach a technology enriched curriculum but in a lot of cases that curriculum cannot extend beyond the school walls. Not all students have the luxury of owning a computer at home. And if they do have a computer not all computers are Internet connected. Although computer and Internet access is growing nationally there is still a digital divide among some levels of economic, educational, and ethnic groups. According to a 2003 survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the Education Department, the gap is closing on computer and Internet use in our nation’s schools. Implementation of federal and state standards and accountabilities has contributed to this success. Virtually all schools in the United States are connected to the Internet. But this is not the case in regards to home use of computers and the Internet.
Based on the 2003 survey 83 percent of students use computers at school and 68 percent of students use computers at home. When the data is then broken down by family income only 37 percent from families with incomes less than $20,000 use computers at home, compared to 88 percent in families with an income over $75,000. There are also ethnic gaps in home use: 46 percent of Blacks, 48 percent of Hispanics, and 43 percent of American Indians use computers at home, compared to 78 percent of Whites and 74 percent of Asians.(Debell, Chapman)
Schools are offering alternatives to students who need to access computers or Internet after school hours. Some school districts are open after hours so that the media center can be available for student access. Other school districts like Henrico, located outside Richmond, Virginia have supplied all teachers and every high school and middle school student with their own laptop computer. The primary goal of this initiative was to create an environment of engaged and active learning. Currently over 28,000 laptops are deployed in Henrico County.
The success of any technology integration initiative is dependent upon training teachers in ways to integrate technology and allowing them the time required to practice these skills. Many states now have teacher technology standards in place where teachers themselves are required to meet a basic knowledge of computer skills. But to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum teachers need to move beyond the basic computer skills.(Zhoa, Bryant) Schools need to offer teachers intensive instruction in curriculum-based technology integration. This can be done by holding workshops, attending conferences, peer tutoring, mentoring or collaboration. Research has shown that follow-up technical and curriculum support is essential after the initial training. Teachers need time to practice and sharpen these new learned skills which will in turn allow for better utilization of technology and a greater impact of student achievement.
Multiple Choice Questions:
1.One of the components of the No Child Left Behind Act is that all schools must effectively integrate technology into the curriculum. As a teacher what are you hoping to achieve by doing this?
(a.) Keep the students from getting bored (b.) Enhance learning and increase K-12 student achievement (c.) Show the administration that you’re a team player (d.) Keep up on your keyboarding skills
2. Mrs. White is creating a lesson plan based on technology integration. Which of the following will help her meet her goal?
(a.) Typing a letter on the computer (b.) Using software for drill practice (c.) Using e-mail (d.) Using a Streaming Video to enhance a science lesson objective
3. On Monday the school is having a technology workshop for teachers. What will ensure that teachers benefit from this professional development? (a.) Showing teachers how to integrate the learned technology into their curriculum (b.) Allowing teachers the time to practice skills learned (c.) Giving teachers follow-up technical and curriculum support (d.) All of the above
4. Mr. Douglas has assigned a research project to his students. He requires that the paper be typed and three resources to come from the Internet. How can he be sure all his students will be successful with this assignment?
(a.) By ensuring that students without home computers have access to the school’s media center and computer lab after school hours (b.) By letting the local library aware of the assignment to assure computer access (c.) By setting aside classroom time to visit the media center and lab (d.) All of the above
5. Ms Clark would like to see her students be active participants in the next lesson dealing with collecting, organizing, and displaying data. Which of the follow will best meet her goal?
(a.) Watching Ms Clark organize blocks into groups (b.) Students taking turns on the classroom computer doing drill practice (c.) Students separating a bag of Skittles into colors; then recording and charting their findings in an Excel spreadsheet (d.) Students watching a video
Multiple Choice Answers: 1. b 2. d 3. d 4. d 5. c
Essay: As a classroom teacher give a few examples on how you would use technology to enhance a curriculum objective?
References:
Antifaiff, G. (April 2000). Integrating Technology into the Curriculum, Educational Communications and Technology, University of Saskatchewan
DeBell, M. and Chapman, C. (2006). Computer and Internet Use by Students in 2003 (NCES 2006–065). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983) A Nation at Risk. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Northeast & the Islands Regional Technology in Education Consortium (2002). Technology Briefs for No Child Left Behind Planners, Education Development Center
Virginia Department of Education (June 2005). Computer Technology Standards for Virginia Public Schools, June 22, 2005
Zhoa, Y. and Bryant, L. (2006) Can Teacher Technology Integration Training Alone Lead to High Levels of Technology Integration? A Qualitative Look at Teacher’s Technology Integration after State Mandated Technology Training. Georgia State University
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2003/2004) National Assessment of Educational Progress. Washington, D.C.
U.S. Department of Education (2004) National Center for Education Statistics (2004) Mathematics and reading. The Condition of Education. Washington, D.C.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2004) Toward a New Golden Age in American Education: How the Internet, the Law and Today’s Students Are Revolutionizing Expectations. Washington, D.C.
