Session 3 Technology Integration Hierarchy
Dr. Newberry's Technology Hierarchy really resonated with me. It illuminated the path I see technology following in classrooms, and the struggles and successes that come with implementing technology in a classroom. Of course, I could see myself in the hierarchy, but I could also see my peers, my school and the schools I work with, struggling to ascend the hierarchy. Clearly, technology integration can be expressed in a hierarchy; however, I would like to suggest another category to to a technology integration hierarchy.
Dr. Newberry described the fourth level as having students use technology to p[resent their understanding of their learning, through multimedia presentations, music, video, and/or graphics, and utilize the resources of the internet to find and bind new knowledge, and as a place to store and retrieve their learning portfolios. In this level, students decide how technology is to be used in their expression of their learning. Students are, in fact, empowered to have choice.
But my experience of this level of the hierarchy is different, and I think a new level my need to be applied. There is a level where the teacher uses technology actively in his or her lesson design and presentation, where students are required to use technology as a tool in their learning, however, in my proposed new level, the student do not control how or when technology is used. The teacher is the arbiter of the why AND what of student's technology choice. This level would fall somewhere between the third level, of using technology with students, and the fourth level, of students choosing how to express their learning through technology.
This new level is most often seen in the elementary school setting, where emerging skill and proficiency of technology use by students is being guided by the teacher, or at schools or in classrooms where limited equipment and curricular time causes the teacher to give explicit and detailed instruction in how and what technology will be used by students to express their learning. In this level, students still use technology to express their learning, however, the teacher decides what technology will be used. Classroom projects are created, but the use of technology is dictated by the teacher, not the student.
I think that even the final level of the hierarchy can see this type of dictated use. I see, in my capacity as a new teacher support provider, and my role in instructional technology, classrooms, and now even schools, where the use of technology is ingrained in the psyche of the school, where students and teachers use technology seamlessly throughout the day, but the students rarely if ever choose the use of technology.
Perhaps this choice needs to become more widespread in the elementary environment. Empowering students to choose the method and form of technology to express their learning would imply a higher order of both thinking skills and technology use.
Dr. Newberry's Technology Hierarchy really resonated with me. It illuminated the path I see technology following in classrooms, and the struggles and successes that come with implementing technology in a classroom. Of course, I could see myself in the hierarchy, but I could also see my peers, my school and the schools I work with, struggling to ascend the hierarchy. Clearly, technology integration can be expressed in a hierarchy; however, I would like to suggest another category to to a technology integration hierarchy.
Dr. Newberry described the fourth level as having students use technology to p[resent their understanding of their learning, through multimedia presentations, music, video, and/or graphics, and utilize the resources of the internet to find and bind new knowledge, and as a place to store and retrieve their learning portfolios. In this level, students decide how technology is to be used in their expression of their learning. Students are, in fact, empowered to have choice.
But my experience of this level of the hierarchy is different, and I think a new level my need to be applied. There is a level where the teacher uses technology actively in his or her lesson design and presentation, where students are required to use technology as a tool in their learning, however, in my proposed new level, the student do not control how or when technology is used. The teacher is the arbiter of the why AND what of student's technology choice. This level would fall somewhere between the third level, of using technology with students, and the fourth level, of students choosing how to express their learning through technology.
This new level is most often seen in the elementary school setting, where emerging skill and proficiency of technology use by students is being guided by the teacher, or at schools or in classrooms where limited equipment and curricular time causes the teacher to give explicit and detailed instruction in how and what technology will be used by students to express their learning. In this level, students still use technology to express their learning, however, the teacher decides what technology will be used. Classroom projects are created, but the use of technology is dictated by the teacher, not the student.
I think that even the final level of the hierarchy can see this type of dictated use. I see, in my capacity as a new teacher support provider, and my role in instructional technology, classrooms, and now even schools, where the use of technology is ingrained in the psyche of the school, where students and teachers use technology seamlessly throughout the day, but the students rarely if ever choose the use of technology.
Perhaps this choice needs to become more widespread in the elementary environment. Empowering students to choose the method and form of technology to express their learning would imply a higher order of both thinking skills and technology use.
Activity Log
Monday, January 26
Complete more modules for the CITI research course
Tuesday, January 27
Listened to podcast and took notes
Completed more modules for the CITI research course
Met with Dr. Newberry
Wednesday, January 28
Posted my blog on session 3
Thursday, January 29
Completed more modules for the CITI research course
Commented on fellow student's blogs.
Friday, January 30
Completed more modules for the CITI research course
Completed Project 1 proposal
I agree with you about empowering the students, but I don't think many teachers are ready to do that. In their defense, I think they are afraid to do that because so much emphasis is being put on standards. I think they worry about losing control of the material that a student is using because of test scores. Scores and standards have beoome the means to all ends.
ReplyDeleteYup, I agree. The focus on standards and testing has made the controlled use of technology inevitable. As with many of the unintentional consequences of NCLB and the accountability regimes begun in the early 2000's, the parceled use technology by students has taken away the creative, naturalistic impulses of students to use technology to express their learning.
ReplyDeleteI finished reading Chapter 3 of Cuban last night and he is saying much the same thing about why teachers are not using technology to its highest potential. In fact, some of the things he said on pages 57-58 made me feel I'd been psychic because I felt the comments I'd made earlier in the week echoed his. I guess we've made some advances beyond standard lecture presentation, textbook and worksheet responses but we are moving ahead at a snail's pace instead of the lightning speed we could be.
ReplyDelete"Empowering students to choose the method and form of technology to express their learning would imply a higher order of both thinking skills and technology use."
ReplyDeleteIn elementary level, I think it would be difficult to implement because there are so many technologies available out there and I agree with both Chris and Barbara. Not only will teachers have to worry about meeting standards, they'll have to worry about getting familiar with the technology students are using.
Maybe researching the technology first and provide the students several options to choose from. With this approach, teachers can screen out unwanted technology.
Yes, we should be empowering our students and exposinig them to available technology to enhance and enrich their learning. We live in an exciting time where a wealth of information is at our fingertips. The more training teachers receive the better the results.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about empowering students to choose the method of technology they would like to use in the classroom, because they will more likely be interested in subject they are studying
ReplyDelete