Week 5 Blog Assignment:

• What were some of the factors that played a role in ensuring positive results when technology was integrated in the classroom?

Teacher training played a role in tech. integration, but not just ONE professional development (PD) day of training on the technology for the teacher, but rather an ONGOING PD training schedule of some kind was needed to ensure continued technology learning and integration in to the curriculum.

Another point was student and teacher access to technology.  There needs to be adequate time scheduled for students, as well as teachers, to use the technology to not only collect data, but synthesize it and create uses for it. 

It was mentioned in one of the articles, that teacher planning and collaboration time needs to be intentionally scheduled to discuss and plan continued technology integration in to their teaching of the curriculum.

• What are ways that you can, in your own setting (or for those not currently in a classroom, in your future setting), ensure that these factors are present or absent? (Be specific to your situation; do not make general statements.) 

I would like to incorporate technology training into the PD presentations and training that I give in districts regarding ways to meet the needs of gifted students in the classroom. I would also like to include ways to use technology to help the students with disabilities, and am looking into types of programs to use, that I can recommend. (Which could be used for ANY LD student, gifted or not.)

I may even create a PD workshop on integrating technology into current curriculum for teachers, and explain the uses for GT kids, and GT/LD students, along with, the instruction that can be used for the general ed. students. Although, this sounds similar to the previous example, it is a separate audience, and conference schedule (GT conferences, vs. conferences for gen'l. ed. students.)

I want to show the use of technology to create a rubric (or enhance a current rubric) that can be used for all levels of learners, to show mastery of content, with the ability to collect data, analyze it, and synthesize it by creating a final project.

• How would you go about evaluating the success of a unit, lesson, etc., that involved the integration of new technology?

I would create the assessment questions beforehand, for example, the list of content that need be mastered by the student for that unit, and then create the project to reflect that mastery.  As an example, for a Native American Indian unit, a high level student who can already recite the content assessment answers that are new to the general ed. and lower students, can go on to create one's own Indian tribe.  In the project, the student would show mastery of certain concepts by explaining what the tribe would wear, eat and home structure based on the climate and geographic location where they lived. The student can use technology to collect, research and analyze data, and then create a model of what it might look like, draw samples, or continue with the technology to create a video or PowerPoint presentation to share with the class.

• Finally, what could you do to disseminate successes and failures to your colleagues, administrators, and school board members?

Grade level teacher teams can meet once a month during planning time, before school, or over lunch, to collaborate and share technology uses in curriculum.  As well, there can be a project event each semester, or at the end of the year, where teachers, school board member and the community are invited to view the students' projects created with technology integration. Standardized test score comparisons year to year can also help to show success.