The Transition... Integrating Technology

How Do You Successfully Integrate Technology 

in a Middle School Setting?

https://goo.gl/images/6uyiGE

As a middle school mathematics teacher, I have wanted to integrate technology into my classroom since I began teaching in 2013.  Each year I have added more and more resources and "tech stuff" to my classroom.  When I began teaching I started with just a SmartBoard, a laptop, and a scope and sequence.  I used my SmartBoard daily, but just as a projection-- not as a teaching tool.  Throughout my first year, I began to play with the different features of a SmartBoard.  I created Smart Notebooks that were more visually appealing, I added timers into the Notebook, and I began exploring the activity builder.  In my second year of teaching, I invested in an iPad and Apple TV for my classroom.  This by far was my greatest purchase to date.  While I did not use it religiously in the beginning, I have integrated my iPad further into my instruction each year. If you were to come into my classroom today you would see my SmartBoard being used for group instruction including interactive lessons and instruction, a TV in the back of my classroom connected to my Apple TV and iPad by my small group area for remediation and one-on-one conversations, and students seated in flexible seating throughout the room.  While all of this is far from where I started 6 years ago, I want to do more... But, my constant question is how.

Why Would You Want to Integrate Technology?

1. To engage learners-- Students who are using some kind of technology (computer, tablet, iPad, chromebook) are encourage to be an active participant in their learning process through self-directed instruction rather than a lecture hall or "talked-at" environment.
2. To encourage individual learning and growth-- There will never be two students who learn the exact same way.  By using advanced technologies, a teacher is able to remediate or excel the curriculum to meet every students needs.
3. Collaboration with peers-- The more freedom students have within their learning, the more willing they seem to be in participating.  If a student is struggling and the teacher is not available or in a small group, collaboration from their peers is the next best thing.
4. Preparing for the real-world-- Technology has taken over our lives.  Whether at work or home, society has become dependent upon our ability to use technology. Teaching students from an early age how to research, collaborate, and solve problems will better prepare them for their career later in life.  It can also help reduce a fear of new technologies by allowing them to explore and become comfortable with different platforms and tools.

How Do I Integrate Technology?

When new technology is brought into the classroom, the teachers mindset needs to shift from being the center focus for an entire lesson.  This does not mean that the teacher is not essential within a classroom setting.  Not only is the teachers role magnified through integrating technology, if done properly, the teacher becomes a "guide" to help students navigate through specific curriculum.

The following is a guide from an Edutopia article, How to Integrate Technology, to help teachers integrate based on their own classroom...

If your class has an interactive whiteboard and projector:

• Try interactive websites such as BrainPOP.

• Dig in to Scholastic's whiteboard activities page.

• Show online videos related to the lessons.

• Explore virtual math manipulatives.

• Check out the native software that came with the board.

• Use the videoconferencing tool Skype to connect beyond the classroom.

If there is only one computer in your classroom:

• All of the above, plus…

• Assign one student to be the class scribe and take notes.

• Start a collaborative class blog.

• Check out the Skype an Author Network website.

• Try Voicethread, a collaborative multimedia conversation tool.

• Let students access review or intervention materials on a rotating schedule.

• Curate resources for students via a Livebinder.

• Build a Google Site to house class content.

• Encourage skills practice, research, or the creation of collaborative stories using Google Docs.

• Record Screencasts for providing onscreen instruction.

• Find more free resources and ideas from this Eduptopia blog post.

If you have a pod of three to five computers in the classroom or access to a library with a pod of computers:

• All of the above, plus…

• Encourage individual student blogging using Kidblog.

• Have students create digital stories using Voicethread.

• Explore student-created multimedia presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, LibreOffice, Prezi, or Google Docs.

• Use Edmodo, Schoology, or Moodle to manage course content, assignments, and assessments.

• Get the students to create cartoons using ToonDoo.

• Have students make videos using Windows Movie Maker or Animoto.

• Build websites with students using Weebly or Wikispaces.

If you have access to a laptop cart or a computer lab:

• All of the above, plus…

• Enable students to work through course content at their own pace through the use of screencasts, e-books, and other digital media.

• Use Poll Everywhere or Socrative to poll students.

• Start live class discussions with TodaysMeet.

• Explore enhanced digital note taking with Evernote.

If you have access to a handful of mobile devices:

• Have students create videos using the Animoto app

• Record group discussions using a voice recording app.

• Have students record themselves reading aloud for fluency checks.

• Assign student-created comics using the Puppet Pals app.

• Offer e-books for required readings.

• Upload and access course content using the Edmodo or Schoology apps.

• Conduct research.

• Foster skills practice using apps specific to subject area.

• Collaborate using apps like Whiteboard.

If your students have 1:1 mobile devices:

• All of the above, plus…

• Use them as multifunction devices (e.g., e-book readers, calculators, platforms for taking notes).

• Try out a tool like Nearpod to project information onto student devices.

• Check out mobile apps for student polling from Poll Everywhere or Socrative

 How Do it See It In My Classroom?

Although I love experimenting and finding new ways to improve my classroom, integrating technology has been my biggest struggle.  I would love to run my classroom as a "flipped" classroom, but I'm not able to due to student access outside of class.  Recently I was introduced to the following video, which gave me a new way to try and "flip" my classroom...

In the coming weeks I hope to incorporate the following in my class...
1. Create a video that all students will be able to "buy-in" to.  All students will have the ability to be successful, whether they need to watch the video once or a couple times.
2. Once the students is comfortable with the new content, they will practice their skill through online games and explorations. If they complete their practice without any issues, the are able to move on to an early finisher project (enrichment).
3.  If the student has questions during their practice, they will come to my "group circle" and receive one-on-one help and instruction.  Once I feel the student is grasping an understanding, I will send them back to complete their work independently.
Throughout the class, students will be expected to be engaged and working on their assignments.  If they have a simple question that a peer can answer, they will depend on their peers first.  My hope is to become a facilitator and a resource in my classroom, rather than a lecturer.  I believe when students are involved in their learning, they are more likely to recall information quicker and retain information longer.  Through flipping my classroom internally, I hope to achieve greater success and growth.

Reference Links

https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation

https://www.teachhub.com/12-easy-ways-use-technology-your-classroom-even-technophobic-teachers

https://teaching.berkeley.edu/resources/engage/incorporating-technology-your-teaching