INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY & GRADE 6 LANGUAGE ARTS
Technology Integration Grade 6 Language Arts
Jaimie S. Brown
Kent State University
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INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY & GRADE 6 LANGUAGE ARTS
Paul Ehrlich said, "To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer."
While we can all relate to the frustrations which arise from technological difficulties whether
they result from faulty mechanisms or user errors, we too must admit how invaluable
technology has become to our daily lives. One such venue which has benefitted from
technological advancement is the academic arena.
George Rodman writes in his book, Mass
Media in a Changing World, “The way the printed book changed literacy, and literacy in turn
changed the world, is one of the greatest examples of technological determinism, a theory
that states that the introduction of every new technology changes society, sometimes in
unexpected ways.” (Rodman, 2008, p.70) Technology has indeed changed the way we learn
and thus the way we teach. So much so in fact, the Ohio Department of Education has
constructed a lattice of standards for technology which outline what the students should know
at each grade level. Standard Five: Technology and Information Literacy prescribes that
students should be able to “… evaluate their information process and product.” There are
numerous ways to effectively partner this standard with other Grade 6 Language Arts
standards.
Part of successful integration requires that we as educators look for ways to constantly
include exposure to technology, while not utilizing it for the sake of itself. Technology is best
used as a means to an end. Web quests will only be an effective tool if they reinforce learning
and provide review or assessment opportunities. Likewise, power point presentations which
are not blended with the subject content can actually distract students and thus prohibit an
effective learning environment.
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INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY & GRADE 6 LANGUAGE ARTS
Digital Media such as audio books enable reading fluency to be modeled in a way
which provides variation and the dialect or inflexion provided through various voices enables
students to become interactive listeners. E-books uploaded to various websites, which are
books that have been transferred into digital files, are a great way to teach students navigation
strategies. Most textbook companies are now offering an online accessories for students and
teachers. Another benefit of utilizing hyper textual print (digital text) is that the very nature of
hypertext provides links between the written words and other reinforcements such as videos,
audio feeds and pictures to make reading a multilinear experience instead of the traditional
linear approach. (McNabb, 2005)
Another basic way technology may be integrated into the 6th Grade Language Arts
Classroom affects teacher-centered instruction. Teachers are no longer bound by chalk boards
and enlarged Xerox copies of reinforcement images which formerly accompanied a lecturestyle environment. Today teachers may choose from interactive whiteboards such as Smart
boards or Microsoft Surface. These visual display enhancements allow teachers to share the
undertaking of modeling text and the process of editing and proofreading with the students.
To further distance the practices of classroom instruction away from teacher-centered
instruction, it will be invaluable in the years to come for educators to be well-versed in the
virtual realm. Web chats and virtual author visits can save the school district money while
affording the students engagement opportunities. (Maciejewski, 2007) Since such
reinforcements are made readily available through technological advancements, differentiation
is also more accessible for the busy teacher. Students who may easily grasp the form and
content of a selected piece of poetry can better utilize their time by digging deeper into the
author’s thoughts or reactions of other students in a school half-way around the world while
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INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY & GRADE 6 LANGUAGE ARTS
students who may still be struggling are afforded extended time and re-teaching opportunities.
Differentiation is also made possible through technological integration of such devices as the
Kurzweil 3000 and voice amplification systems. “Assistive adaptive technology does not
‘cure’ a specific learning disability. These tools compensate rather than remedy, allowing a
person with [a learning disability to] demonstrate his intelligence or knowledge.” (Espejo,
2009)
By utilizing E-pals, electronic pals who serve the previous role of pen-pals, students
are able to converse with students from other schools. In this forum teachers can assign
writing assignments be shared with E-pals which in turn can serve as a post-reading journal
response and can be shared in the form of email. It would then be an effective follow-up to
schedule a videoconference. By collaborating with another school, teachers are able to create
“discussion friendly environments” for middle school students who might otherwise avoid
participation. (Merkley, Schmidt & Allen 2001) Merkley goes on to suggest that teachers
should consider several learning factors so as to establish rational expectations in the process
of technology integration. Such reminders are modifying pace of instruction, accommodating
for differed learning curves when embedding technology in existing assignments,
approachability when students have shortcuts to share that we as instructors will learn from
them, and an awareness that the integration process is ever changing and ongoing. (Merkley
2001)
Another valuable integration tool for classroom maintenance is the electronic grade
book which is accessible remotely by parents and students alike. This promotes the concept of
self-monitoring which is a reading benchmark for grade six. This particular tool epitomizes
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INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY & GRADE 6 LANGUAGE ARTS
the carryover which when integration is successful, erases the boundary between language arts
instruction and technology implementation.
Once resources become a normal vehicular means of the education process, the subject
matter will be seamlessly fused with technological implementation.
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INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY & GRADE 6 LANGUAGE ARTS
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References
Espejo, R. (Ed.). (2009). Has technology increased learning? Farmington Hills, MI:
Greenhaven.
Maciejewski, J. (2007, June). Multimedia: Synching teaching and technology yields great results
if administrators and teachers are up to the task. District administration, Retrieved from
http://www.DistrictAdministration.com
McNabb, M.L. (2005). Raising the bar on technology research in english language arts. Journal
of research on technology in education, 38 (1), 114.
Merkley, D. J., Schmidt, D. A. & Allen, G. (2001, November) Addressing the english language
arts technology standard in a secondary reading methodology course. Journal of
adolescent & adult literacy, 45 (3), 224-225, 228. Retrieved from
http://proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t
rue&db=a9h&AN=6286659&site=ehost-live
Rodman, G. (2008). Mass media in a changing world (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.