A Great Place to Start with Instructional Technology

     Teachers today are looking for new materials to help them get the most of the time they have to

create, plan and teach.  In the technology world there is a site that fits just about every need for new

material.  Take a look at these instructional software options and how they can make an immediate

impact in a classroom.

     Drill and Practice programs are designed to give students problems one at a time and then give

them feedback on if they answered correctly (Integrating Educational Technology into 

Teaching,Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.81). One example is the chart fill-in activities which consist of

charts that students work while being timed and then the work is checked for accuracy

(Roblyer &Doering, 2013, p. 81).  The website www.abcya.com has games and charts for students to

practice spelling and math skills.  One in particular the "100 number chart game" gives students the

chance to work on their math skills.

     Tutorials are used in the classroom as an entire self-contained teaching lesson instead of being a

supplement so students should not need any additional materials (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p.86). 

A Linear tutorial usually gives each student the same progressive steps regardless of their accuracy

(Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 87).  An example of a linear tutorial that teaches English vocabulary

and spelling is "At The Zoo" found at www.english_4kids.com.

     A Simulation is a model that can be manipulated to teach how a system works (Roblyer &

Doering, 2013, p. 90).  A procedural simulation teaches a system through actual steps in a

procedure or activity without the extreme risks and high costs (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 90) 

Think learning to fly a plane.  A safer and more economical choice to one science experiment can be

found on www.froguts.com which allows students to virtually dissect a frog.

     Instructional Games provide a competitive learning method for a generation of students who are

hooked on games (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 99).  Adventure games are popular among students

today and the website www.jumpstart.com has learning games for all levels.  These are a great way

to challenge students while they are entertained (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 98).

     Problem Solving technology is based on three things; the problem itself, the physical process of

solving the problem and the thought process to reach the solution (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 99). 

Content-area problem solving focuses on a specific content where students find the solution to a

specific problem (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 99). There is no end to the problem solving games for

children to practice on the site www.theproblemsite.com including a game called "Adder" where

children guide a giant caterpillar to the correct answer to a math problem.

     One system that teachers have found helpful is the Integrated Learning System Program. 

These provide instruction to students but track progress information of what they are learning for

teachers  (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 102).  It can give an overview of a class or a view of each

individual's progress so teachers can see if additional instruction or details should be given (Roblyer

& Doering, 2013, p. 103).  A great resource for implementing this is www.learning.com where all

kinds of curriculum has a designed system.

     For many basic software tools have become an important part of teaching (Roblyer & Doering,

2013, p. 112).  Material Generators provide tools for improved productivity, accuracy and

appearance in teaching materials (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.141).  Two websites that focus on

design and function include www.formbreeze.com and www.broderbund.com.  Planning and 

Organizing tools are also essential to keeping things running smoothly in a classroom (Roblyer &

Doering, 2013, p.141).  For ideas on staying organized look at www.lessonplanet.com and like these

listed the website www.superteachertools.com is  a great place to start


Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into     Teaching (6th ed.).
    Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.


    

Teachers Need Time to Teach Technology

    Technology in our world today is changing every second creating an exciting time

for teachers and students where a constant flow of new information is available. Yet, one

can not forget that classroom teachers are faced with the issue that there is so

much new information available that it can be difficult to keep up with. Teachers

must now also remain current on the constantly changing teaching methods as well as

make the decision which advancements in technology are worth the extra time of

learning for themselves and their students.  Robyler and Doering describe today’s

teachers by stating, “they must anticipate and accept the inevitability of change and the

need for  a continual investment of their time” (Integrating Educational Technology Into

Teaching, 2013, p.10). 
   

    This became apparent during the microcomputer era when the movement as

stated by Robyler & Doering, (2013), “wrested control of educational computers from

companies, universities, and school districts and placed them in the hands of teachers

and schools” (p. 7).   After the introduction of the computers into the classrooms there

was an overwhelming response to provide teachers with ways to find the right software

and help them to decide which choices would be best for their classrooms.  Many

teachers themselves began to write software that they felt would be the most beneficial

to their students creating programs and systems such as (e.g., PILOT, SUperPILOT,

GENIS, PASS),  yet as the past had once shown doing so took a lot of time and many of

those that emerged faded over time (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p.7).   There was a lot of information

to create, review and decipher and the issue of an overwhelming amount of information and time

constraints began to emerge (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 7) .  Robyler and Doering (2013) discuss

how teachers were at times overwhelmed  when required to meet school and state standards as well

as be trained in “computer literacy skills,” a phrase that was introduced by computer

education expert Arthur Luehrmann (p.7).
   

    One model that was designed and implemented in order to assist teachers in

implementing this new information into the classroom is the Technology Integration

Planning Model or “TIP” model.  Roblyer and Doering (2013) state, “The TIP Model gives

teachers a general approach to identifying and addressing challenges involved in

integrating technology into teaching,” (p.52).  It gives teachers

a tool to evaluate which technology tools are most beneficial and appropriate for their

classrooms by asking a series of questions about relativity, advantages, conditions,

assessing success and improvement (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p.52).  Susan M.Gay, wrote a

dissertation, "Teaching with Technology, a case study of teachers' perceptions of implementing

computers into the Classroom" (1997), on this topic.  The article documents the

experiences that several teachers had while learning new technology and how to

implement it in their classrooms.  It can be read in its entirety at

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9805505/.

   

References

Gay, Susan M. (1997). "Teaching With Technology: A Case Study of teachers' perceptions of implementing computers into the classroom"(1997).  Retrieved from ETD collection for University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Paper AAI9805505.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9805505

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into     Teaching (6th ed.).
    Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.

I am in my first class since 1995.  I am creating a blog to record what I am learning in my technology course.  Yikes!! I am very excited and nervous at the same time.  This will be fun and  maybe I will be able to teach my children something they don't already know.