Running Head: INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA RESOURCES

Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Regent University

Emily Brannock

In partial fulfillment of UED496 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2018

INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA RESOURCES

Introduction

In today’s world, technology is a part of our everyday life, to not include technology in

the classroom would seem almost impossible. There are obvious benefits to using technology in

the classroom; however, it is important to use technology efficiently and effectively. Technology

in the classroom “impacts achievement in content area learning, promotes higher-order thinking

and problem solving skills” (Edutopia, 2007b), as well as preparing students for careers they will

see in their future. Students also receive the opportunity to learn how to use technology in a

responsible and respectful way. “Technology, when integrated into the curriculum,

revolutionizes the learning process and improves the students’ learning process and outcomes.”

(Edutopia, 2007b). Teachers can use technology to better engage their students and to better

allow students to express their creativity. A variety of artifacts will be discussed to show my

competency involving technology in the classroom.

Rationale for Selected Artifacts

The artifacts I am submitting to display my competency in integrating technology and

media include a variety of items including two different lesson plans and pictures that show

students participating in a few different technology tasks.

The first artifact is the lesson plan based on summarizing. In this classroom students

have a Schoology account that they access to see all different documents, notes, books in all of

their classes. Students access Schoology to participate in class activities. During this lesson, I

read a book aloud and modeled how to fill out a plot mountain; the students filled out the plot

mountain on their computers while I modeled filling it in for them. My plot mountain was

displayed on the smart board so students were easily able to follow along. By being able to fill
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out the Plot Mountains on their computer profile and saving it, they are able to refer back to the

document for future reference. Students were able to use their plot mountain to then write a

summary of the book read to them.

The second artifact is a lesson plan based on questioning while reading. During this

lesson I read another book and modeled for the students how to ask questions to better

understand the story. Between pages, students were able to participate in asking questions

through an online forum as a class. The questions/online forum was displayed on the smart

board so that all students could see the questions. Students were engaged in the lesson and

excited to be able to post their question. Once the book was completed, students were asked to

talk as a table using their online forum and discuss the different types of questions and how to

find the answers.

The third artifact I am including is pictures. Students use technology every single day in

the classroom. In this fourth grade classroom they complete chapter summaries on their own

portfolio online which was set up at the beginning of the year. They also participate in Achieve

3000. Achieve 3000 is a differentiated reading program that provides students with a passage at

their reading level. When students use Achieve there are constantly being assessed and

challenged to push them to the next higher reading level. Students also use Wixie, which is an

app on their computers, to create presentations after researching or to tell a story; this app allows

students to be creative and really dig into technology. There are many different ways that

students use technology in this classroom; I was able to experience the many benefits of

technology.
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Reflection on Theory and Practice

Coming from a generation that didn’t have as much technology in school, it is very

exciting and interesting to see students in action using technology. Regent University is very

technology friendly by requiring their students to access the online central location of classes,

discussion boards and grades and so much more. Regent has challenged my ability to think

outside the box and integrate technology into my ideas. Through the education classes, I have

learned many different ways to integrate technology; videos, apps and learning websites for

students in the classroom. Having kids of my own has also assisted me in finding new and

exciting ideas with technology to introduce to my students.

One thing I really have enjoyed seeing while focusing my attention on technology in the

classroom is the assistance it provides for the ESL students. ESL students are able to use

technology for translation but also to work with websites to practice and learn English. Another

thing I’ve enjoyed watching is when the gifted students do special research projects using the

internet. Using the internet for research can be very tricky even as an adult so the trick is to

teach students to find “legitimate resources” and in the end this allows teachers to “engage their

students in ways that lectures and textbooks can’t” (Armstrong, 2014). Seeing all the benefits of

technology makes it very inspiring to incorporate technology however, not everything about

technology is easy and I think that is an important concept to consider as well. I have learned

that there are downfalls to technology as well, however, that is exactly where being a flexible

teacher benefits the students. Being able to have a plan in place when technology fails us is so

important and teaches our students to adapt to our situations. It is a “major responsibility to keep

students on task” (Edutopia, 2007a) as well as guiding them to use technology in a responsible
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manner. Overall, the benefits outweigh the cons and I truly look forward to engaging my

students through the different technology resources.

Resources

Armstrong, A. (2014). Technology in the classroom: It's not a matter of 'if,' but 'when' and

'how.'. The Education Digest, 79(5), 39.

Edutopia. (2007a). What is Successful Technology Integration. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-description

Edutopia (2007b). Why Do We Need Technology Integration. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-importance