Currently, I am in the process of obtaining my Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Argosy University. I graduated in 2003 from the University of Minnesota Duluth, my major is Elementary Education, and my minor is Social Studies. After graduating I worked in the Duluth School District as a substitute teacher before becoming a stay at home mom. During my years at home, I decided that my passion was Early Childhood Education. My children and I joined the Early Childhood Family Education group in Duluth. I was on both the site and citywide board of representatives. We made budget, activity, and program decisions.
When I returned to work in May of 2008, it was clear that I wanted to work in the early childhood area. I was offered a Lead Infant Teaching position with KinderCare Learning Centers in Burnsville, MN. My husband and I made the decision to move to Burnsville, MN so I could pursue my career. In May of 2009, I was promoted to Assistant Center Director at my center. I love my job, the people I work with, and the families at my center. It is my goal to continue to develop personally and professionally. I hope to become a district or regional manager for KinderCare. In addition, I plan on obtaining a job at a college or university, so that I can teach the future educators!
Teaching and learning are my passions. Once my Master's Degree is complete, I am going to obtain my Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Evaluating Instructional Technology
Methods to Measure and Evaluate Instructional Technology
Introduction
A decade ago, computers in schools were considered luxuries, now they are a part of the ongoing instructional program in most schools (Brimley & Garfield, p. 386). Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, and Virginia require teachers have skills in educational technology for certification or recertification (Burke, 2000). The educational leaders in these states believe that teachers should be able to effectively use new technologies in their lessons (Brimley & Garfield, p. 386). It is important for schools to choose technology tools that serve both the classroom learning and teaching needs (Wang, p. 50). The teachers intentional planning and preparation drives purposeful learning, not the technology that is used (Wang, p. 50). Checklists can provide a way to ensure that software and technology will meet the needs of the classroom and school. It is important to consider not only the current needs of the school, but also the future needs. Technology is always advancing and failing to foresee what is going to come next makes it easy for schools to fall behind (Lengel & Lengel, 6-7).
Integrating Technology in a Way that meets the Needs of Today’s Students
Schools need to incorporate technology in a way that will meet the needs of today’s students, and prepare them for tomorrow’s global world (Lengel & Lengel, p.6). To accomplish this, schools should work on the four As: Access, Assimilation, Accommodation, and Activity (Lengel & Lengel, p. 6). Schools should expand access to students and teachers, access should be easy and all over the school. A study of 640 college students found that; 75.6% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the use of technology tools helped them be more engaged in their learning (Khan, 2009). Teachers need to find ways to assimilate the curriculum with the technological skills that the students possess. Once the assimilation has occurred, the curriculum needs to be adjusted to accommodate the new technology. Finally, students need to be actively working with technology, and with each other (Lengel & Lengel, p. 6).
Evaluating Technology Being Used in Early Childhood Education
The fastest growing group of internet users is two to five year olds (Richardson, p.6). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two watch no television (Walton-Hadlock, p.53). This recommendation makes it important to effectively evaluate any technology that young children will use. Babies and toddlers thrive when they have a lot of contact with other people, so this should be the focus of technology at this age (Walton-Hadlock, p. 53). “Electronic toys on their own will not make babies any smarter than old-fashioned wooden blocks, but parents may be more prone to interacting with their babies using electronic toys as an interface” (Walton-Hadlock, p. 53). Software for this age group should be open-ended, child-directed as opposed to drill and practice software (Zevenbergen, p. 39).
Questions to Ask When Choose New Software to Incorporate into a Classroom
When software is being reviewed prior to purchase there are several criteria to consider. Some of the criteria are considered optional, while others should be considered essential (Roblyer, 2006). Roblyer suggests four essential criteria to look at. Set one looks at the essential instructional design and pedagogy characteristics: Does it teach? The second set evaluates the essential content, is it appropriate, accurate, and up to date? The third set asks if it is easy to navigate. The fourth set evaluates the technical soundness; does it work properly? If the software meets the essential criteria should then be looked at to determine if it is a good fit for the classroom.
Rand Briggs suggests that there are some important questions to ask of any new software that is being purchased for a classroom. The questions include: Are the graphics interesting and appropriate for the students? Is the information accurate? Is the program easy to use? Does the program offer feedback to the students? Will it run on your computer? Does it need any additional hardware? What is the cost? How many copies do are needed? Is there a site license available? Does it present intellectual material that will challenge the students? Does it make learning boring or fun? If the answer to most of these questions is yes, then the software is a good choice for the classroom (Briggs, 2009).
Conclusion
Some educators see the use of technology as the antithesis of good practice in their classrooms (Zevenbergen, p. 37). However, technology is here to stay, and states are beginning to require teachers know how to effectively integrate technology into their curriculums Teachers need to choose the method that best fits their classroom, and the technology they are using. When a teacher decides to integrate technology into their classroom, they need to make sure that the lesson is purposeful. The technology should be used to encourage engagement, active learning, creativity, and social interaction (Wang, p. 50).
Introduction
A decade ago, computers in schools were considered luxuries, now they are a part of the ongoing instructional program in most schools (Brimley & Garfield, p. 386). Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, and Virginia require teachers have skills in educational technology for certification or recertification (Burke, 2000). The educational leaders in these states believe that teachers should be able to effectively use new technologies in their lessons (Brimley & Garfield, p. 386). It is important for schools to choose technology tools that serve both the classroom learning and teaching needs (Wang, p. 50). The teachers intentional planning and preparation drives purposeful learning, not the technology that is used (Wang, p. 50). Checklists can provide a way to ensure that software and technology will meet the needs of the classroom and school. It is important to consider not only the current needs of the school, but also the future needs. Technology is always advancing and failing to foresee what is going to come next makes it easy for schools to fall behind (Lengel & Lengel, 6-7).
Integrating Technology in a Way that meets the Needs of Today’s Students
Schools need to incorporate technology in a way that will meet the needs of today’s students, and prepare them for tomorrow’s global world (Lengel & Lengel, p.6). To accomplish this, schools should work on the four As: Access, Assimilation, Accommodation, and Activity (Lengel & Lengel, p. 6). Schools should expand access to students and teachers, access should be easy and all over the school. A study of 640 college students found that; 75.6% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the use of technology tools helped them be more engaged in their learning (Khan, 2009). Teachers need to find ways to assimilate the curriculum with the technological skills that the students possess. Once the assimilation has occurred, the curriculum needs to be adjusted to accommodate the new technology. Finally, students need to be actively working with technology, and with each other (Lengel & Lengel, p. 6).
Evaluating Technology Being Used in Early Childhood Education
The fastest growing group of internet users is two to five year olds (Richardson, p.6). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two watch no television (Walton-Hadlock, p.53). This recommendation makes it important to effectively evaluate any technology that young children will use. Babies and toddlers thrive when they have a lot of contact with other people, so this should be the focus of technology at this age (Walton-Hadlock, p. 53). “Electronic toys on their own will not make babies any smarter than old-fashioned wooden blocks, but parents may be more prone to interacting with their babies using electronic toys as an interface” (Walton-Hadlock, p. 53). Software for this age group should be open-ended, child-directed as opposed to drill and practice software (Zevenbergen, p. 39).
Questions to Ask When Choose New Software to Incorporate into a Classroom
When software is being reviewed prior to purchase there are several criteria to consider. Some of the criteria are considered optional, while others should be considered essential (Roblyer, 2006). Roblyer suggests four essential criteria to look at. Set one looks at the essential instructional design and pedagogy characteristics: Does it teach? The second set evaluates the essential content, is it appropriate, accurate, and up to date? The third set asks if it is easy to navigate. The fourth set evaluates the technical soundness; does it work properly? If the software meets the essential criteria should then be looked at to determine if it is a good fit for the classroom.
Rand Briggs suggests that there are some important questions to ask of any new software that is being purchased for a classroom. The questions include: Are the graphics interesting and appropriate for the students? Is the information accurate? Is the program easy to use? Does the program offer feedback to the students? Will it run on your computer? Does it need any additional hardware? What is the cost? How many copies do are needed? Is there a site license available? Does it present intellectual material that will challenge the students? Does it make learning boring or fun? If the answer to most of these questions is yes, then the software is a good choice for the classroom (Briggs, 2009).
Conclusion
Some educators see the use of technology as the antithesis of good practice in their classrooms (Zevenbergen, p. 37). However, technology is here to stay, and states are beginning to require teachers know how to effectively integrate technology into their curriculums Teachers need to choose the method that best fits their classroom, and the technology they are using. When a teacher decides to integrate technology into their classroom, they need to make sure that the lesson is purposeful. The technology should be used to encourage engagement, active learning, creativity, and social interaction (Wang, p. 50).
References
Briggs, R. (2009). How-To: Incorporate New Media into Your Classroom. Retrieved on December 1, 2009. From, http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/howto/incorptech/c14093,.htm
Brimley, V., & Garfield, R. (2008). Financing Education in a Climate of Change. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Burke, J. (2000). New Directions-Teacher Technology Standards. Atlanta, GA: Southern Regional Education Board.
Khan, M. (2009). Effects of Information Technology Usage on Student Learning – An Empirical Study in the United States. International Journal of Management (Vol.26, No. 3). 354-364.
Lengel, J., & Lengel, K. (2006). Integrating Technology A Practical Guide. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 6.
Roblyer, M.D. (2006). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (Forth Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. 111-112.
Walton-Hadlock, M. (2008). Tots to Tweens Age-Appropriate Technology Programming for Kids. Children and Libraries. 52-55
Wang, C., Jaruszewicz, C., Rosen, D., Berson, I., Bailey, M., Hartle, L., et al. (September 2008). Meaningful Technology Integration in Early Learning Environments. Young Children. 48-50.
Zevenbergen, R., & Logan, H. (March 2008). Computer use by Preschool Children Rethinking Practice as digital Natives come to Preschool. Austrailian Journal of Early Childhood Education (Vol. 23, No.1). 37-44
Briggs, R. (2009). How-To: Incorporate New Media into Your Classroom. Retrieved on December 1, 2009. From, http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/howto/incorptech/c14093,.htm
Brimley, V., & Garfield, R. (2008). Financing Education in a Climate of Change. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Burke, J. (2000). New Directions-Teacher Technology Standards. Atlanta, GA: Southern Regional Education Board.
Khan, M. (2009). Effects of Information Technology Usage on Student Learning – An Empirical Study in the United States. International Journal of Management (Vol.26, No. 3). 354-364.
Lengel, J., & Lengel, K. (2006). Integrating Technology A Practical Guide. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 6.
Roblyer, M.D. (2006). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (Forth Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. 111-112.
Walton-Hadlock, M. (2008). Tots to Tweens Age-Appropriate Technology Programming for Kids. Children and Libraries. 52-55
Wang, C., Jaruszewicz, C., Rosen, D., Berson, I., Bailey, M., Hartle, L., et al. (September 2008). Meaningful Technology Integration in Early Learning Environments. Young Children. 48-50.
Zevenbergen, R., & Logan, H. (March 2008). Computer use by Preschool Children Rethinking Practice as digital Natives come to Preschool. Austrailian Journal of Early Childhood Education (Vol. 23, No.1). 37-44
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