Final Reflection - EdTech 541

Part I 

Edtech 541, Integrating Technology into the Classroom Curriculum, has given me the opportunity to think again about technology from the perspective of the classroom teacher. As an administrator, it is valuable for me to not only consider classroom integration, but to actually create lessons and plans to be utilized in the classroom. For several years i have presented to teachers about research on effective classroom practices; in this class I struggled to ensure that my lessons contained strategies and activities reflect research-based understanding of what works to improve student achievement (Hattie, 2011; Marzano, 2001).

There are so many new tools and resources available every year that it is tremendously valuable to take a strategic look at what the relative advantages are. It’s important to look not only at the relative advantage compared to non-digital methods, but to other digital tools that may already be familiar. It’s a constant comparison, and it takes a lot of time and energy. This class forced me to spend the time on those comparisons, and learn about some new tools and resources available. I would have really liked greater interaction around my classmates’ content, rather than the blog posts. I’m very interested to see some of the science resources shared by secondary teachers in the group, because I know I will learn a lot from them.

I plan to use my project website with my upper elementary teachers, as a resource and a way to stimulate conversation. “Relative Advantage” is an important term, and one that will inform many conversations I have with staff. There are so many sacred cows in elementary education, where teachers teach a specific project in a specific way because that’s the way it’s always been done. By talking about the relative advantage of various tools, maybe we can find a better way to teach geographic concepts than a bean map, for example! 

Part II 

I felt that, overall, I posted strong blog entries and responded well to my classmates. I think the content of my reflections was outstanding. It reflected thoughtful effort, insight, and clear connections to prior content and real-life situations. My use of readings and resources was somewhere between proficient and outstanding. I used APA citation in every post, but sometimes had only one or two references. In general I did an outstanding job of posting by midweek in order to give my classmates plenty of time to respond,. However I had one posting which was late, which meant that I had no replies to that particular post. I consistently replied to 3 classmates, with at least two substantial responses. Overall, I would rate my blog at about an A-, or 132 out of 140 points.
Content - 70/70
Readings and Resources - 15/20 (limited citations)
Timeliness - 17/20 (1 late post)
Responses to Others - 30/30


Hattie, J. (2011). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. Routledge: UK.

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Assistive Technology

I am a big believer in Universal Design for Learning. According to the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST, 2003), “Barriers to learning are not, in fact, inherent in the capabilities of learners, but instead arise in learners’ interactions with inflexible educational goals, materials, methods, and assessments.” I believe that whole-heartedly. As educators, our job is to serve ALL students to allow them to reach their full potential, and assistive technology may be required to do that job. Tight budgets are no excuse for failing to serve a segment of the population.

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If we agree that technology should be integrated as a tool to promote and enhance student learning as a part of the regular curriculum, then it is our moral imperative to ensure that all students have access to technology tools that work for them. There is also a legal imperative. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1990) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require schools to provide services and educational opportunities for students with disabilities. While limited funding is routinely an issue in education, the way we choose to allocate resources cannot exclude certain segments of the population. If assistive or adaptive technology is required for a student to access the curriculum, then our priority must be providing the tool that allows that access.

The Common Core State Standards require the use of technology for research, consumption of content, and production of content. For some students, traditional technology simply doesn’t work. Whether it’s because of visual acuity issues that make screens impossible to read, auditory issues that make videos impossible to hear, or physical issues that make a standard keyboard impossible to manipulate, students are not able to access those particular standards using traditional technology tools. Students have the right to have modifications that allow them to participate meaningfully in the standards, which means educators need to be aware of what modifications are available, and which is most appropriate in what situations. In California, a state budget line item provides reimbursement for uncommon assistive technology needs in K-14 education, such as screen readers, braille printers, and adaptive keyboards. (California Education Code). Awareness of the process and requirements for such a program can help educators support their students while limiting the fiscal impact on the budget as a whole.

• CAST (2003). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. ASCD: Alexandria, VA. 
• Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 94-142, 104 Stat. 1142 
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, Pub. L. No. 93-112, 87 Stat. 394.29 U.S.C. § 701 
• California Education Code: Low incidence funding, EC § 56345(b)(5)

Elementary Science: Challenges and a Solution

Integrating technology into science seems, at first glance, to be without major obstacles. After all, science requires research, measurement strategies, data collection and analysis tools, and publication. Clearly, the use of technology in the field of science is pedagogically sound, as well as providing significant affordances in terms of time involved in various activities and ability to document both micro- and macro-processes. But that characterization is not necessarily accurate, because it doesn’t consider the human element in science instruction.

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 In elementary schools, science is usually taught by a “regular education” teacher who has likely had limited exposure to scientific concepts and research. Davis (2008) notes that many elementary teachers lack science subject matter knowledge, may have unsophisticated understandings or misconceptions about science, or may even avoid teaching science altogether. This lack of comfort with teaching science would naturally make it more difficult for a teacher to integrate technology, potentially adding a layer of complexity to an already fragile structure.

Another common obstacle in elementary school science instruction is access to appropriate technology. While digital probeware is common in industry, college labs, and even in high school science classrooms, it is uncommon to find probeware in the elementary setting (Trotter, 2008). As computers and other digital technologies become more readily available, however, there is a need to ensure that teachers are prepared to use these devices to support scientific inquiry.

Professional development is a solution to both issues identified above. High-quality professional development would model effective instruction with technology tools while simultaneously building teachers’ content knowledge and addressing common misconceptions. Hands-on activities using technology allow teachers, as much as their students, to develop accurate understandings of scientific concepts. Improving the scientific literacy of elemen
tary teachers is important, but doing it in a way that can immediately be transferred to their instructional practice is even more critical. By embedding the use of digital tools for science into professional development, teachers will walk away with improved scientific understanding, and a clear path to share that knowledge with students.

Davis, E.A. (2008) Elementary teachers' ideas about effective science teaching: a longitudinal study. Proceedings of the 8th international conference on International conference for the learning sciences - Volume 1. Utrecht, The Netherlands

Trotter, A. (2008). "Probeware" on increase in schools' science labs. Education Week, 27(29).

Knocking Down Garden Walls

Please see our presentation below about the walled garden. Add your voice to the discussion!

Internet Safety and Internet Safety Resources

“Internet safety” is a nebulous term that encompasses a wide variety of skills and strategies that teachers and school districts are required to address with students. Sadly, the term is sometimes misinterpreted as a mandate for limiting what students can do, rather than a requirement to educate students so that they can be safe online both at school and at home. I compare it to a swimming pool - one way to keep children safe from swimming pool accidents is to not allow them in. Of course, that means that these children will want to break into the swimming pool to play around without knowing how to swim, or will grow up afraid of swimming pools, or both. I think some of our younger teachers fall into this category - they were banned from the internet or not taught how to use it when they were in K-12 schools, so they have no idea what to do with their students to teach them to be safe. In fact, they have no idea how to keep themselves safe online!

One of my favorite resources for teaching students about safe and responsible use of the internet is Common Sense Media. This site has a collection of grade-level appropriate lessons on eight different themes, with parent letters and student activities for each. One of the most eye-opening lessons for upper elementary and middle school kids (and often their teachers) is Trillion Dollar Footprint. I think it provides an excellent starting point for a conversation about responsible behavior online.

I’m not a big fan of scare tactics with kids, but it is important that they are aware that who they are chatting with online may or may not be who they say they are. Childnet out of the UK, and Enough is Enough do a good job of providing parent resources so that parents can understand the potential risks and take steps to mitigate those risks. NetSmartz, which works in collaboration with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, has some powerful presentations and other resources that teachers or administrators might use with at-risk student groups.

I really appreciate internet use policies that support responsible behavior, rather than listing things a student should NOT do. This is the philosophy of our district, as well. I think that emphasizing responsibility helps to eliminate the loopholes that even the most stringent Acceptable Use Policies create by omission.

These are the simple guidelines I try to help instill in our students:

• Only share your password with your parents. No one else needs to log in as you.
• Keep your private information private. Not everyone is who they say they are on the Internet.
• Be a responsible digital citizen. Post only things that are positive reflections of yourself.
• Report cyberbullying to an adult. Do not repost or share unkind comments
• Use your technology to engage in classroom assignments and school-related activities.

Multimedia as a Critical Skill

Ljubojevic, M., Vaskovic, V., Stankovic, S., & Vaskovic, J. (2014). Using supplementary video in multimedia instruction as a teaching tool to increase efficiency of learning and quality of experience. The International Review Of Research In Open And Distributed Learning, 15(3). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1825

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (7th Ed.). Allyn & Bacon

The Evolving "Basic Suite"

Productivity tools such as word processors and spreadsheets, were some of the earliest software packages to be adopted. Their benefit was that they made many tasks that people were already doing easier, allowing them to be more productive. The big producers of productivity software began to package the tools together, often including a database program in the early days, and then a presentation program as the graphical capabilities of computers and printers progressed. Now, these packages of tools might be knows as a “Basic Suite,” with the “Basic Three” software tools of word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application (Roblyer, 2016). Most adults in the modern world consider a basic suite to be a necessity for work, and quite possibly for life. Personally, I can’t imagine dealing with budgets without a spreadsheet, writing a paper without a word processor, or standing up in front of a large group without a presentation to back me up. While we don’t know what the future of technology will hold with certainty, it is reasonable to assume that productivity tools similar to what currently exists will still be used. Therefore, these are tools we want to ensure our students are comfortable and competent with.

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Word processors create editable pages of text and graphics. Some basic suites, such as Microsoft 360 and Google Docs, allow these documents to be stored in the cloud, accessible from any web-connected computer. In addition, these cloud-based documents can be shared, so a collaborator can view, comment or edit, according to the document owner’s preferences. For students, this can be a game changer. When students conduct research for a science report, they are working with a lot of information. It is difficult to know what information will go where early in the writing process. A word processor allows students to write coherent paragraphs as they synthesize information, then move that paragraph around and add linking sentences for the final product, without the manual chore of rewriting. In addition, the document can be edited digitally by the teacher or other students, and clarifying clauses and sentences can be added without requiring an entire rewrite. Word processing software is increasingly good at incorporating graphic elements, blurring the lines with desktop and web publishing software. Experience with design and layout will likely help current students with necessary tasks in the future, as well.

Spreadsheets put numbers into rows and columns, where those numbers can be placed into formulas and calculations, or sorted to improve understanding. The use of a spreadsheet can help to build understanding from data and other information, because it can be manipulated and charted. For students working with data about scientific phenomena, a spreadsheet can be a way to quickly make and test hypotheses about relationships. For example, using a spreadsheet that contains data about the length of gestation, life span, and average number of offspring for various animals can help students explore concepts about how those elements may be related. Students can also use spreadsheets to easily perform complex calculations, which removes computation errors as a factor leading to misunderstanding. Spreadsheet software can accept data from a variety of sources, including survey exports, complex data sets, and even geo-tagged elements. As spreadsheets continue to become more powerful, it will be important that students understand the relationship between data and display, so that they can be informed consumers of information.

Presentation software places text, audio, and visual elements into a slideshow format that can be displayed in a variety of formats for a variety of audiences. In our increasingly graphic-intensive world, students must understand the impact of visual presentations, not just be the passive recipients of them. Elements of design can be used to manipulate emotions; when students are aware of design elements, hopefully they will be less likely to make decisions solely on the visual. Like word processing and spreadsheets, many presentation tools are cloud-based and collaborative, allowing students to effectively work together in the development of presentations. Ideally, students use presentation software as a storyboarding tool, planning the text, audio, and visual elements that will best convey their message to their audience. In all content areas, including science, the standards ask students to make an argument based on evidence. Creating that argument in a presentation format and sharing it to an authentic audience gives students a real-world experience, imitating the presentations required by scientists around the world as they share their results with their colleagues and the public.

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching (7th Ed.). Allyn & Bacon.