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Towne, Jessi
EDUG 510
October 15, 2015

PRQ #5: How can I use technology to effectively support my curriculum development and
teaching?
In elementary school, I remember being ecstatic when we got the opportunity to watch
Bill Nye the Science Guy and SchoolHouse Rock. Although those videos were juvenile, they
helped me to learn valuable concepts in a fun way that I have not forgotten to this day.
Technology, if used in the correct manner, can help to support comprehension and long-term
memorization. I can use technology to effectively support my curriculum development and
teaching by showing educational videos, using teacher websites, and interactive learning
websites.
Educational videos are technology that effectively supports my teaching by having a
visual representation of a concept that allows subject matter to be easily comprehended. Two of
my favorite educational videos were Bill Nye the Science Guy and SchoolHouse Rock. These
videos made learning a fun and interesting experience for me in school. According to TPE 4.7,
teachers can provide students with the opportunity to use and evaluate strengths and limitations
of media and technology as integral tools in the classroom (Commission on Teacher
Credentialing (CTC), 2013). In my classroom, I am going to try to integrate videos in my
instruction as often as I can, because I know that it engages the students and gets them excited
and more knowledgeable about the subject matter.

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Teacher websites are another beneficial approach to assisting teachers with curriculum
planning. There is a website called Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), which is a website filled with
millions of videos, lesson plans, and activities for teachers in compiling curriculum to use with
students. I have tinkered with the website and have figured out that you can filter the categories
according to your specific needs, like grade level, subject, and price. There are multiple
resources for developing curriculum that are available for free. These resources are created by
teachers for teachers. According to the Universal Design for Learning, Multiple Means of
Representation is a good resource that allows teachers to present material in various ways
according to student needs (Burkhardt, p. 8-9). Websites are wonderful resources to aid student
learning and development.
Interactive learning websites can also be used to liven up the teaching material. You are
secretly learning because these resources make learning educational and entertaining at the same
time. One of the best interactive resources I have come across is called Kahoot. This website is
geared toward material review in a whole-class speed round format. Students are engaged and
become competitive in playing this game because they are competing against one another for the
top score. This interactive learning website is an effective technological tool for material review
in the classroom.
I can use technology to effectively support my curriculum development and teaching by
showing educational videos, using teacher websites, and interactive learning websites. In this day
and age, technology has become a crucial part of our world. As teachers, we should properly
utilize the technology that can help our students reach their educational potential.

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References

Burkhardt, W. (2014, July 1). Universal Design for Learning: An Overview and Examples of
How to Use It in the Classroom. Retrieved September 24, 2015, from
http://learn.vanguard.edu/pluginfile.php/420250/mod_resource/content/1/UDL Burkhardt.pdf
Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2013). California teaching performance
expectations. Retrieved from http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/TPA-files/TPEs-FullVersion.pdf