Week+2

=Week 2: Can't Wait to Learn More - =

I can’t help but get more and more excited as I learn all of this new and valuable information.I have visited with my principal about sharing the statistical information so as to encourage more of our core teachers, especially, to integrate technology into their classrooms. However, I do agree that technology should NOT play a part in instruction time if it’s not benefiting the students – teachers shouldn’t use technology just to be using technology. Unfortunately, in my district, we still have those teachers that do not want to embrace technology for many reasons. I recognize that intimidation, lack of training, and the lack of time for preparation are the biggest factors contributing to these teachers’ reluctance. In **Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works**, the authors talk about using the instructional strategy of setting objectives and instructional goals. Not only for technological integration, but for general educational settings, these recommendations are excellent ideas to make any classroom more effective. I do plan to use most of the suggestions (creating a KWHL chart using word processing software, using brainstorming software and including the reading motivation idea using the Goal Plan template, and using the data collection tools to focus class objectives) to teach and encourage other teachers in my technology integration workshops.

John Schacter pointed out in his article, “The Impact of Education Technology on Student Achievement,” numerous positive impacts of computer-based instruction. The study conducted in 1994 by James Kulick found that, on average, students whose classes included computer-based instruction scored significantly higher on achievement tests, they learn more in less time, and students tend to like their classes more and seem to have more positive attitudes. There are many other statistics presented in this article, but I noticed that the percentile gain for the Special Education group studied was a whopping 22%! This alone should motivate teachers in every subject area to integrate technology. With NCLB and the push for inclusion in the regular education classroom for the special education student, it only makes sense to use technology to increase this population’s success rate. I have such a heart for those struggling students that succeed and learn to feel good about themselves in my technology classroom. When the students that struggle or seem to cause problems in traditional, teacher-led classes are in my computer lab, I can see them relax and even begin to soften. One of my hardest working and most successful students happens to be special education with a reading and writing level of about 3rd grade. When he’s on the computer, he is able to succeed (and other students even ask him for help) which does wonders for his self-esteem because in other classes, he struggles and may even be alienated by his peers. These students have so many resources available to them that will supplement their areas of weakness, in most cases, I wouldn’t know which students were the special education students if I didn’t have that information given to me.