Tech.+Integration

The Technology Integration Essay is a short piece, written in response to various videos (found on Edutopia) which discuss how technology is being used more and more frequently in the classroom, as well as its significance and the importance of teachers being prepared to use it effectively. --- The video I chose to reflect on was “Ex-Governor Angus King on Lessons from Maine’s 1-to-1 Laptop Initiative.” The project, which was started in 2002, essentially gave laptop computers to seventh-graders in nine different middle schools across Maine; by 2006, despite budget collapses and other setbacks, the project was reinstated and as of now, the project has gone statewide, with around 40 thousand computers in most middle schools and 20 (out of their 150) high schools. What I liked about the video was, really, the project being described, and the video itself, which, very simply, described what the project was, and how it helped students. By supplying students with personal computers, according to Angus King, the type of learning that is made available is tremendous: students frequently work on assignments and projects that use real-time data, and the regular use and acceptance of these computers allows for more student-teacher involvement, and particularly for more individualized learning. Also, as Mr. King states, any teacher, when asked to describe the initiative’s effect on students and learning in one word, says engagement. And as those same teachers point out, “if students are engaged, you can teach them anything.” One common theme I noticed throughout most of the videos I watched was the importance of professional development. Every single program director, developer, or proponent – and especially the teachers themselves – claim that without the appropriate professional development, the use of technology in the classroom does nothing, if not hinder the students further. However, //with// proper training and understanding, using technology in the classroom can open an infinite number of doors through which students and teachers alike can enter and explore. Personally, I have always loved technology and have fortunately found myself rather adept at understanding and using it; and while I am not completely sold on the entirely-technology-based classroom, I do agree that not only is it inevitable, but it is vastly important. I think the regular use of classroom computers (if available), and particularly the access to materials such as photos, videos, and other learning materials available online will certainly be part of my teaching process. As well, anything that has a true and useful connection to the material being taught will be used; i.e., movies, TV shows, music, etc. Again, I’m not quite sure I agree with classrooms being 100% technologically-focused, but I personally embrace the use of technology in the classroom, regardless of the subject or grade level.

- Elizabeth Croswhite, 2/6/2012