TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

Technology Integration

Dylaney Dalton

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2019.

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Introduction

In modern society, completing the tasks required of the day to day society become

cumbersome and near impossible without the usage of technology. Wantulok (2015) states that

technology is not just about learning computer skills, but integrating it into the everyday life to

help students be successful adults. Because of how ingrained technology has become, students

must be able to access it and incorporate in into their education if they are ever going to become

productive members of the 21st century. And while teaching this may appear burdensome to the

technologically-naive educator, it is essential to note, as Wantulok (2015) does, that technology

has no limitations and gives students more opportunities than ever before.

Rationale of Artifacts

My first artifact is an example of student work from an interactive scavenger hunt I

created in order to align to the school’s metric equivalents standard (SOL 5.9). In this activity,

students were partnered with their peers and were given the opportunity to solve equivalents,

convert, measure, and document artifacts within the classroom that met the specific

qualifications of the task.

For instance, in the example of the artifact below, Student A was required to convert

0.000145 km into other equivalent metric units in order to find the more appropriate

measurement (cm or mm). The student’s example below demonstrated an awareness that

0.000145 km is equivalent to 14.5 cm, which allows the student to then apply their reasoning and

measure items around the room until find an artifact that meets their criteria. Students were

allowed to get as creative as they wished with this activity- many created their own artifacts

while others searched for artifacts that already met the criteria. The student below chose a pen

and then articulated their reasoning for selecting this artifact. While student’s were given a
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template in the slide’s format for completing their work, many students demonstrated a

proficiency in their ability to create their own slides, add photographs or drawings of their work,

as well as type out responses for their answers, all while utilizing their technology in a safe and

appropriate manner. Students were also told that their work would be presented to the rest of the

class, and many students were excited about the opportunity to potentially add transitions to their

work to make it more of their own.

My second artifact chosen is an example of student usage of technology in the classroom,

but also as a homework resource. Many students at Tallwood Elementary have access to

technology at home, which makes it convenient to assign their homework virtually and view

their results in real-time. Students do not have this access at home often complete their

homework during their flexible math or free time in order to still be assessed. For example, the

main homework resource students depend on for math is an interactive quiz site known as

Quizizz.com. Quizizz has many settings, including a live mode and a homework mode. This

homework mode helps and allows educators to go through homework with parents, as well as see

what issues students are truly struggling with before ever entering the classroom the next day.

This assessment strategy preserves instructional time and allows students to be placed into

groups immediately based upon their scores.

Quizizz is not only a great resource that educators can use for student assessment- it is

also a great interactive resource for students. There are many settings imbedded into the Quizizz

platform that help to engage students minds. One example of this is Quizizz’s meme selection

that is displayed after students select their answers to their questions. These memes are often

school-related and relate well with the mindsets of students in the classroom. There are several

teacher approval settings for the selection of memes, such as topic, maturity level, and response
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

selection. What this means is that an educator can create a Quizizz and then choose a topic, age

or appropriate grade level for memes, as well as a response initiated system which displays

specific memes when students score more accurately. What this means is that the student who

scores best gets to view more engaging memes than those who score lower. This encourages

students to get more problems correct because it allows students to access more relateable or

comical memes based on their accuracy.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

According to Virginia Department of Education, it is important for today’s students to

develop 21st century skills needed in order to compete in today’s society in effective and wise

ways (Board of Education, 2013). This aligns with many other state’s goals for students, which

articulate the responsibilities of a society to demonstrate a competency in using and maintaining

technology. Many of Virginia Beach Public Schools have adopted to these models, creating 1:1

initiatives for using technology within the classroom.

According to Jennifer Roland, this access to technology is about more than appeasing

higher ups; it’s about training students to use and enjoy technology in their day to day lives.

Roland indicates that it is not enough for students to know how to use technology, but that they

engage and interact well with it. Some tips she gives in creating this environment for respect and

usage of technology include giving them a greater reason to interact with it and offering them

every opportunity to utilize it. Roland’s argument for needing to find student enjoyment and

relatability in technology can be seen clearly in my usage of Quizizz, as students are challenged,

compelled to compete against classmates, and catered to through the usage of memes. Students

also have the opportunity to interact positively with technology due to the numerous occasions

they are allowed to manipulate it for their own benefit in groups. One of the downsides to
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technology usage, as noted by Morrison and Lowther (2001), is that students can easily isolate

themselves if the teacher does not utilize technology to foster social growth. Group projects,

competitive scores, and teamwork help students to develop and foster an enthusiasm for working

with technology. Levin and Wadmany agree, stating that it is crucial that teachers utilize the

resources they are given through technology and implement it in ways that foster student growth

effectively. In their research, they noted a correlation between teachers that used it effectively

were also one’s who had a thorough understanding of technology as well as a positive view. In

combining the two, the teacher demonstrates a knowledge of student needs and development in

resource utilization, as well as encourages students to complete the task in front of them.
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Reference

Levin, T. & Wadmany, R. (2008). Teachers’ views on factors affecting effective integration of

information technology in the classroom: developmental scenery. Journal of Technologu

and Teacher Education, 16(2), 233-263. Waynesville, NC: Society for Information

Technology and Teacher Education.

Roland, J. (n.d.). How to make technology in classrooms effective and exciting. Retrieved from

the WGU website: https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/how-make-technology-

classrooms-effective-and-exciting1612.html

Morrison, G. & Lowther, D. (2001). Integrating computer technology into the classroom. Saddle

River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR.

Wantulok, T. (2015). How important is technology? Retrieved from the Pine Cove Consulting

website: https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/the-importance-of-technology-in-education-

pine-coves-top-10-reasons