Bringing the College/Technical School Classroom into the 21st Century
Once students reach higher educational institutions it is expected for them to know the basics of computers, the Internet and technology as a whole. What some professors fail to realize is, not every student will have the same level of competency with technologies due to various reasons (i.e. digital divide). Some times a student may have experience with technology in general, but not with a technology in particular. There are teachers also who do not have extensive experience with technology. It is therefore necessary to create a learning environment that accommodates varied levels of technological capabilities.
To that end some schools have created IT (information technology) department off-shoots, sometimes called Instructional Technology, dealing with issues like those mentioned above. Thes departments are in charge of everything related to academics and technology. They provide some technical assistance to teachers and students, but their main responsibility is to help them work with the technology. For example, a professor would like to teach a lesson in which the students use a wiki, but is not familiar with the technology. The instructional technology departments would provide training to the professor and any students that would require or desire it.
Useful Articles
Partnering with Faculty to Interweave Internet Instruction into College Coursework - discusses the benefits instruction gains from integrating meaningful internet based resources. It also talks about collaboration among faculty and librarians in how each brings very different perspectives to the collaborative relationship.
Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement - discusses the No Child Left Behind Act, how we are to meet the 21st century challenge and different types of technology and their educational applications. It also goes into what the research says and various factors to consider (i.e. students with disabilities or language barriers).
The Benefit of Integrating Technology into the Classroom - the article is based on research and provides useful instructional tactics to teach math in a way that infuses technology and engages the learner.
Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum? - begins with an article discussing supportive curricular goals of technology integration (active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback and connection to real-world experts). The site also offers video instruction as well as real-life examples of technology integration.
Useful Websites
Blue Web'N - this site offers over 2,000 Internet sites categorized by subject, teaching level and format (i.e. lesson plan, tool or project). This site is compiled by professional and experienced education advocates, therefore it reduces the time one spends searching the web for useful and meaningful resources on a topic.
Education World (Technology Integration Made Easy) - the site offers useful examples of integrating technology into your curriculum. These are efficient and easy ways to start off with the integration process.
The Educator's Reference Desk - site offers many websites, articles and online communities that reference technology integration.
Transforming Teaching Through Technology - the website is based on the article Integrating Technology into the Classroom using Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement (Marzano, Pickering & Pollock). The authors have researched what strategies are most effective with students and uses the website to disseminate those ideas.
Sample lesson plans
Globalization 101
Microsoft Lesson plans for students and educators
Integrating Technology in the Classroom
ISTE Lesson Plans
Technology Tools
Confluence - This website is the homepage for the enterprise wiki software Confluence. This is a robust wiki tool packed full of functionality. This is a great tool for any organization or school to employ. This wiki tool combines Web 2.0 elements such as social networking with the function of a wiki to create a personal, efficient, time-saving tool for educators and businesses.
Jing - This free software allows the user to capture images and video of their screen. This is a great tool for creating tutorials or showing processes on your computer. The paid version ($14.95/yr) will allow the user to incorporate his or her webcam into the video. This is a convenient and efficient means of communication.
Skype - This free software allows users to talk across vast geographical distances for free. It currently supports text chat/IM, video chat and conference calling - all free.
OpenOffice.org - This is a free open-source office productivity suite. It offers all the functionality of other office software and more. Current version allows the user to export a document directly to PDF. It is compatible with Microsoft Office and can read and write .doc, .xls and .ppt files. The capability of OpenOffice.org can be increased with the many available extensions.
For the Educator
WebWhacker--for those times when you need a back up plan (no internet or inconsistent connection) This site costs about $50.00 but just may be worth it if you want to download an entire website or a set of webpages to your own computer. There is a 30 day free trial. http://www.bluesquirrel.com/products/webwhacker/
Ta-Da List-this is a must have site! Teacher's can create a free online to do list and send it to others. I have used as an agenda with all those long and hard to type in web addresses that you might be going to during a presentation or class. Send via email and then they can just click to the sites as you present! Saves a lot of time!
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