Instructional Technology – WHY?
Dr. Andrea Peach, Ed. D.
Associate Professor of Graduate Education
Director, Instructional Technology Endorsement Program
Georgetown College
How do I keep up?
Delicious
Online Databases and Instructional
Technology Societies
Why?
Digital Generation
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation
What did you see?
The Plan
 Let’s talk a little about the WHY of technology - What are
some of the current initiatives in education that have
technology influences?
 Then, let’s talk about the current and new instructional
technology trends and how they fit in with these initiatives.
 Let’s also hear from some teachers and see what they dream
about in regards to the perfect classroom.
 Finally, let’s dream – what is coming down the pike?
Universal Design
Universal Design for Learning
21st Century Skills
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
KY Teacher Standards
6: THE TEACHER DEMONSTRATES THE
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IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNOLOGY: The
teacher uses technology to support instruction; access
and manipulate data; enhance professional growth and
productivity; communicate and collaborate with
colleagues, parents, and the community; and conduct
research.
Designs and implements research-based, technologyinfused instructional strategies to support learning of
all students.
Provides varied and authentic opportunities for all
students to use appropriate technology to further
their learning.
Uses technology to assess student learning, manage
assessment data, and communicate results to
appropriate stakeholders.
Provides and maintains a safe, secure, and equitable
classroom environment that consistently promotes
discerning and ethical use of technology.
I asked teachers…
If hardware and software were plentifully available, how would
you incorporate digital media into your classroom? How
would it help you and your students?
Science teacher…
If all kids had access to the Internet and I had the software in
my classroom, I would assign homework in the form of
reading text or images in the on-line edition of my textbook.
I would also have students investigate on-line science labs. In
class we would visit various web-sites that would enhance
classroom discussions. they would be able to blog about the
class. I could post questions [in an online forum], implement
email, and essentially go paperless…
Art teacher…
The use of digital media is a great resource in my classroom. Not only can
we look at different artworks but through the use of all types of media,
we can watch how the art was created. We can even have the students
recreate the art right there on a computer monitor using their own
styles and colors. Digital media would allow students to read, see and
interact all at the same time. The possibilities are endless. Students can
travel the world without leaving their desks. They could even travel the
world during the Middle Ages to see what times were like. The use of
digital media gives students the opportunities that they may never have
in their entire lives. Teaching is about providing these opportunities.
Times are changing. Textbooks that have been around for years are now a
thing of the past. Digital textbooks and resources are becoming a
popular tool. Digital media is the best UDL resource because it allows
interaction and engagement with all students of all different types of
learning styles.
Elementary teacher..
If hardware and software was plentiful, I would have computers accessible
for each student. The idea of having the books digitized would be of
great inclusion for all students. I would make sure for the students who
are struggling readers that the program [Read Write Gold] would be
available for them to click on a page and it would be read to them. Some
students have the ability to comprehend something that is read to them
but when they have to take the time to read it themselves then the
struggle begins. I would also like to have Elmos [document cameras] and
CPS systems so the students would be able to take assessments as a
whole to show how well they are prepared for a test, and other
technology it would take to advance students into the 21st century. The
classrooms have to be modernized with today's ever changing world. If
we as educators are not equipped with the technology we need to better
our students, then we have failed to teach them.
From a math teacher…
First, I would make sure every student had a digital copy of the
textbook. We would also use the online help tools that
accompany the book and take the online quizzes and study
guides to go along with the math course. I would also use the
Geometer's Sketchpad software to accompany my instruction
of geometry. I would let the students do homework digitally
and turn it in digitally if we had the resources and have the
students do my online quizzes so they and I could get
immediate feedback on their understanding of certain
concepts. I would also help me identify quickly what I would
need to re-teach.
One more response from a science
teacher…
Each student would have a laptop, connected to the network, virtual
lab software, digital textbooks and reference books, research
database access, probe ware, and all the real bells and whistles that
a true working science laboratory has (which is more technology
than I even know to name). The laptops would be part of most
lessons. Sharing information, brainstorming, individual work,
group work, labs, research papers....the list goes on and on.
Traditional materials are absolutely restrictive for the diversity of
learners in my classroom. Digital media would help the students
with learning by providing each student with the necessary
information in a way that could help them retain the lesson the
best.
However… Teachers are realists
 Many of the perks that I have gotten with this new textbook
adoption cannot be used because it requires too much of my
computer to run or not enough students can benefit from its
use. They either don't have Internet or a computer.
 After working with Google Docs this summer I truly like the
format. The only problem I have is that our district has
blocked Google Docs. It is so hard to tell students that they
cannot use it at school when they use them at home.
 Air-liners? Every time I have tried to use one of these it has
not been pretty. I usually cannot get them to work properly.
might just be me.
The Perfect Classroom
ASK PARTICIPANTS
Which of the following would you rank highest? Discuss this
with some people sitting next to you…
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
Smart board or digital tablet
CPS
Data projector
1 to 1 laptops
Several laptops or pcs in room
Document camera
Specialized hardware (probes, calculators, etc)
Wireless access
Audio Enhancement
Let’s see what the teachers said..
1 – 1 Laptops / Wireless
 Todd County Project 21 C
 Research is sporadic about the overall benefits. Some factors
are
 Teacher’s beliefs and training / expertise
 Russell, Bebell, and Higgins found that students in 1 to 1
classrooms used computers more across the curriculum
and used them at home for academic purposes. There
was also less large-group instruction in 1 to 1 classrooms
as compared to classrooms with fewer PCs.
 Other studies also show an increase in computer literacy
in 1 to 1 programs.
Audio Enhancement
 “Several studies have demonstrated that the speech recognition
performance of children is improved when classroom
amplification is present in a classroom. Benefits have been
demonstrated for children with normal hearing (Crandell, 1996;
Eriks-Brophy & Ayukawa, 2000), children for whom English is a
second language (Crandell, 1996), children with developmental
disabilities (Flexer, Millin, & Brown, 1990) such as Down
syndrome (Bennetts & Flynn, 2002), and children with mild
hearing loss (Neuss, Blair, & Viehweg, 1991). These benefits
provide strong support for the use of classroom amplification not
only for children with hearing loss, but also for elementary
schoolchildren in general.” (
Larsen & Blair: Signal-to-Noise Ratio in Classrooms. LANGUAGE, SPEECH, AND HEARING SERVICES IN
SCHOOLS • Vol. 39 • 451–460 • October 2008 * American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 0161-1461/08/39040451
Data Projectors or LCD Panels
 To mount or not to mount: That is the question!
Interactive Whiteboards
Remote Clickers (CPS)
Document Cameras
 An overhead projector without the overhead film – who
wouldn’t want one!
Highly ranked honorable mentions
(and some of my own!)
 Scientific probes
 Portable devices (graphing calculators, Ipods, video/audio
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recording devices, etc.)
Flexible furniture arrangements
Flexible electric access
Video monitoring of classroom
Easy access to printing and scanning (ability to scan to email,
pdf, OCR)
Where are we going?
 Augmented Reality and Video Gaming
 Collaborating through technologies like Google Wave
 Improved online learning environments
 More smart devices, including the ‘rumored’ Apple tablet,
digital paper.
 More widespread Broadband internet access through Access
KY and other initiatives
Watch this video
Conclusion
It takes a team of
teachers, school-based
staff, engineers,
parents, and
technology experts to
design the perfect
classroom. Technology
is constantly changing,
and it is probably
impossible to design a
classroom that will be
totally up to date for
more than a few years.
But, this is the great
challenge!
Contact Me
Dr. Andrea Peach
400 E. College Street
Georgetown, KY 40324
(502) 863-7050
apeach0@georgetowncollege.edu
A copy of the websites and resources used in this presentation
will be available by next Friday at
http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/peach