Integrating technology into the classroom: Eight Keys to Success

Bitner, N., & Bitner, J. (2002). Integrating Technology into the Classroom: Eight Keys to Success. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 10(1), 95-100.

Technology implication in the classroom is increasing yearly, and with it comes questions of overall student success. Is technology helping our schools? Are our students benefitting from the change? To support this idea, I read an article titled “Integrating Technology into the Classroom: Eight Keys to Success,” by Noel Bitner and Joe Bitner. To my surprise, the article did not focus on the success of the students with technology, but rather how teachers determine the success or failure of ed tech in the classroom.

The article begins with the sentence, “There are many issues related to the successful use of technology in the classroom” (Bitner), which made me curious. It goes on to mention that teachers determine the success of ed tech in the classroom based on their skill and attitude. If a teacher does not have a positive outlook for using technology in their classroom, then not only the success of the students, but also the success of the teacher could be at risk.

The following are eight key points that teachers should consider when implementing technology into the classroom:

      1.     FEAR of change

      2.     TRAINING in basics

      3.     PERSONAL use

      4.     TEACHING models

      5.     LEARNING based

      6.     CLIMATE

      7.     MOTIVATION

      8.     SUPPORT

First and foremost; FEAR. The article stresses how many teachers, especially those who have been teaching for quite some time, are afraid to try something new and different in the classroom. If a teacher is unfamiliar with the technology tools that schools want to start applying to classroom lessons, then the teacher might begin to develop concerns and become anxious in their teaching.

Second mentioned is TRAINING in basics. If a district hopes to have successful teachers and students using ed tech in the classroom, then some training needs to be provided. This could include training through professional development, institute days, or one-to-one training with specific teachers who need additional support.

The third key point mentioned is PERSONAL use. The article mentioned that in order for a teacher to become confident teaching using technology tools, then they must themselves become comfortable using these tools through personal use. Once a teacher is confident using a tool, they will not fear the potential questions that students or other teachers have, and they will thrive on continuing to use these new tools in the classroom.

Fourth is TEACHING models. Often teachers will use technology as a way to model something they would like students to understand in multiple ways. The article states that teaching models are a good way for students to use programs that will promote problem solving, provide additional information, inspire student collaboration, and allow for review.

The fifth key point is LEARNING based. The article mentions that learning is what drives motivation in students, and having technology tools available is a great way to drive that motivation. Students will have access to additional learning and discovery by using technology in the classroom.

Sixth is CLIMATE. The article mentions climate in the sense that the climate in the classroom as well as the entire school needs to provide a feeling that failure is acceptable; especially when technology is newly being integrated into lessons. This leads back to teachers having fear about bringing a new tech tool into their classroom. If teachers have a sense that failure at first is okay and support is provided, then they are more likely to try these new tools in their lessons.

The seventh key point mentioned in the article is MOTIVATION. Other articles I have read recently mention that using technology in the classroom might provide additional motivation for more students to participate and therefore become more successful overall. This article directs the need for motivation to the teachers. The article mentions that one way the district can motivate teachers is to provide extra pay or early release time, but I highly doubt either of these ideas would be offered these days. However, there are other motivations that schools or districts could provide to teachers instead.

Lastly, the eighth key point is SUPPORT. In order for teachers to feel the “want” to use technology in the classroom, they must receive support from their school and district. Teachers will need time to plan and communicate about the new tools being used in their classroom, therefore support and provided time to plan would be appreciated by teachers. Other support includes IT availability. The article brings up the fact that if a teacher is instructing a class of 30 students, he or she cannot spend an ample amount of time trying to fix one problem on one student’s device and not be present to attend to the other students during that time.

It is important to see student success in the classroom, and I believe that using ed tech is a great way to do so. I appreciated how this article mentions that in order to reach student success, a teacher must first achieve their own success and become comfortable with technology tools on their own.

“Snow Day” Does Not Necessarily Mean ‘No’ Day

Salas-Morera, L., Arauzo-Azofra, A., & García-Hernández, L. (2012). Analysis of Online Quizzes as a Teaching and Assessment Tool. Journal Of Technology And Science Education, 2(1), 39-45.

Snow days are seen by students, and some teachers, as a nice one-or-more-day break from school in the middle of winter. So many times snow days have interrupted unit plans or school activities and they in turn need to be made up at the end of the school year. In this day and age, this ‘problem’ might soon no longer be an issue.

I recently read an article titled, “Snow Days Turn into E-Learning Days for Some Schools,” by Lorenzo Salas-Morera, Antonio Arauzo-Azofr, and Laura García-Hernández. The article begins by addressing the pressure put forth by schools to keep the momentum of education moving forward even when students cannot attend school due to inclement weather. The article gave specific examples of school districts in Ohio needing to close due to snow and cold weather for multiple days at a time. Of the 614 regular school districts in Ohio, 95 had already submitted school plans for what they call “e-learning” days.

E-Learning days allow teachers to post notes, assignments, homework, and even tests online for students to complete when they cannot be present at school. Many teachers have even chosen to post videos of themselves teaching in order to continue the education.

The article discussed many positive benefits to e-learning. One such benefit is that e-learning days are counted as school days, and students will not need to make up a day at the end of the year when the weather is nicer and students start to lose focus with summer approaching. Another positive is that teachers are able to still interact with students on e-learning days, whether that is through assignments, instructional videos, notes and more. The article also talks about how lessons need to be designed so that students can independently complete their assignments and do not need to seek additional help from parents. With e-learning, as long as students have access to the Internet, they will be able to access their assignments from any device.

Another benefit discussed in the article was that Advanced Placement teachers are able to stay on-track with e-learning days. AP teachers often worry with many snow days in the forecast because they need to keep on-track prior to AP exams. E-learning would greatly benefit the teachers that need to prepare their students for set test dates.

Students will learn how to access online material easily so they not only have access to content during snow days, but also if a student is absent or ill. This will help students to stay on-track so they do not need to make up a great deal of missing work when they return to school. With e-learning, students have the ability to email teachers with questions and see their grades in a location other than just in the gradebook. Students also have the ability to use these online resources to interact with classmates as well as collaborate with their teachers prior to completing and submitting an assignment.

One last benefit that the article discussed, which I thought was very interesting, was that one school mentioned the vast amount of money the district is saving by not having to make up the snow days in May. School buses do not need to pick up students on additional days, maintenance and janitorial staff do not need to be in the building during the day, heating and cooling costs are lower, and even the small things like soap, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. are not being used in the amounts of a normal school day.

Although there were many benefits to having e-learning school days when the weather causes the building to be closed, there were a few negatives as well. One potential downside to e-learning is if there is a power outage due to bad weather. This would limit student access to the resources and lessons posted by teachers, and the content would need to be covered again, potentially during the following school day. Another downside to online learning during poor weather is if the students do not have Internet access at home.

My personal recommendation would be that if schools are considering online learning days, or e-learning, in order to eliminate snow days, then they should first discuss this idea with their employees to get an overall idea of how teachers feel about this change. If the change will take place in a school or district, having teachers take time out of the beginning of the school year to explain the protocol to students would be a must. The article did not talk about e-learning days lasting the length of a class period or entire school day, but that would be another important aspect to consider and discuss.

There are vast amounts of benefits to e-learning, however there are a few negative aspects that I have personally thought of, especially when introducing this idea to teachers for the first time. Teachers already do a lot of work throughout the school year, and having to develop an online lesson for a potential snow day could be a drawback for teachers. In order for e-learning days to be fully beneficial, there needs to be a large teacher buy-in and support system from the district.

Overall, I believe that eliminating snow days and using online or e-learning days can be a very favorable tool that schools implement. There are many benefits and a few negatives, but technology is advancing and can be a large factor in increasing education outside the classroom. Personally, I enjoy a snow day every once-in-a-while, and I make the most of a break in the middle of winter. However, in the long run, e-learning might soon be the way to go!

The Importance of Implementing Technology in Today’s Classroom

Lukaš, M. (2014). Supporting Friendly Atmosphere in a Classroom by Technology Implementation.

Technology usage in today’s classroom is increasing as the availability of devices increases. It has gotten to a point where fewer teachers are saying “put away your devices,” but instead they instruct students to take their devices out. To support the idea that technology and education go hand-in-hand, I gathered information from an article titled, “Supporting Friendly Atmosphere in a Classroom by Technology Implementation.”

Three main ideas were focused on throughout this article;

   1) With today’s technological advancements, if technology is not integrated into the classroom curriculum, then you will not see significant results.

   2) Educators must be willing to readjust their curriculum in order to implement the usage of technology and continue to provide rigor in the classroom.

   3) The proper usage of technology in a classroom will prepare students for everyday situations.

Let’s start with Focus #1 – Adjusting to technological advancements. Ten years ago (2007) the first iPhone was launched. Before then, students did not have the opportunity to use a cellular device to gather information. Nowadays students have access to a mini computer at all times; oftentimes in constant arms reach. To support this awareness, Lukaš states that students need to learn and grow with this updating technology; not just through social awareness, but through critical thinking and creativity. To piggy-back on that idea, technology in an educational setting is not only encouraged for students, but also for teachers and administrators. In the article, Lukaš discusses how technology improves the collaboration and cooperation amongst teachers within a school or district, and it allows for teachers to discover additional unique phenomena and real-world connections to share with students. 

     

Onto Focus #2 – Readjusting curriculum to implement technology into the classroom. Teachers are not doing their job of engaging students properly if they are still teaching their classes through lecture all day, every day. Technology is not only a ‘new idea’ that teachers are implementing into their curriculum, but it is encouraged in order to create more engagement throughout the classroom. Lukaš examined the efficient method of using technology to keep students engaged, and he relates it directly to successful teaching. However, in order for technology in the classroom to be successful, teachers need to adjust their curriculum and individual lessons to establish a culture that will inspire students to be creative and encourage inquiry in the lesson. Students will partake in individual learning, which will allow teachers to ask more thought-provoking questions that will demonstrate a deeper-understanding from students.

Lastly, Focus #3 – Student preparedness for the ‘real world’. Throughout the article, Lukaš directs the reader’s attention to the importance of students having the ability to learn through discovery. While teachers are readjusting their curriculum to implement technology into their lessons, teachers should focus on software that will allow the students to individually explore the content. When students are exploring, they are also defining a problem, organizing their thoughts, and discovering a solution. In the long run, through the use of technology and software, students are broadening their own process of learning and developing higher-order thinking skills, which they will take with them onto their next level of education or in the working world.

After reading Lukaš’ article, I would personally recommend that schools look into purchasing enough devices for students to make use of them, or consider moving towards one-to-one (one device per student) in order to give all students the opportunity to broaden their horizon and work to their full intellectual potential. Lukaš states that we as educators need to acknowledge the use of technology as a resource. If we overlook this, it might create a gap between a teacher and the content, or worse, a gap might develop between a teacher and his or her students. Students today are born as ‘digital natives,’ and if educators cannot adjust their curriculum to allow for higher-order thinking by using technology, then those educations will not accomplish ideal teaching for students moving through the school system.