Digital Blog Post #L - Ch 12. Integrating Technology, Creating Change as Teacher Leaders

~ Winning Concepts from Chapter Twelve ~

Inclusion and Infusion of Technology

In our chapter text, one concept which stood out to me was the difference between inclusion and infusion of technology as patterns or strategies of integrating technology into the classroom. I believe this is a very important distinction as each practice can yield very different results from what is intended, if the teacher does not understand the application clearly.

Inclusion means that we include the technology as a regular tool, but don't necessarily infuse it into classroom as a relevant and important day-to-day (ongoing) feature of teaching and learning. Similarly, but not the same, is Infusion, where, technology is continually used in the daily experiences of the students in our classrooms. An important understanding, in my belief, is that infusion leads to familiarity with the technology and can increase necessary skills sets for 21st century learning. These necessary 21st century skills are defined in a study between 21st century learning and 21st century skills by Walden University's College of Education and Leadership, where Dr. Wiley indicates that there are set 21st century skills that not only dramatically impact a student's success in school, but directly impact their professional skills and likely professional outcome, as well. Wiley defined 21^st century skills such as communication, collaboration, information/media/technology skills, initiative and self-direction, and productivity and accountability (Wiley, R., n.d., pp. 5-7). I will add my belief that proper research and attribution are necessary educational and work-life skills that every 21st century learner must have to optimize success. Improper research knowledge, skills, and practices can lead to the relaying of false information, or even liability in the case of improper attribution. As the internet grows, the need for proper research techniques and attribution grows, also. In our book (Maloy, 2014, p. 299-301), the authors touch on the importance of making a choice of whether to include or infuse technology into our classrooms and points out that infusion can increase student motivation and engagement, thereby increasing creativity, and, I believe, an increase in productivity and accountability would be a part of that. Because there is much to be learned about researching and proper attribution, as well as such a vast amount of available information and 21st century tools, infusion into day-to-day classrooms is key to optimizing the learning through practice and familiarity, and the capabilities and output of our students, together with enhancing their critical thinking skills. These are transferable skills that can, if learned and practiced, follow our students through their lives. 

It is complex to infuse technology into our classrooms; however, and more complex than it seems, at first. Edutopia has some ideas for how to incorporate technology into our classrooms, and mirrors what our text has shown us. The biggest concern I have for the infusion of technology into our classrooms is access in terms of the barrier to access that some students still have, even in 2015. What can we, as teachers, do to be sure that our students have access to the tools necessary to complete projects and tasks? Will their parents take them to the library or will they have the free time to use the school library? What if our classrooms don't have computers or the computer lab is busy? These are thoughts we have to address when building a tech-incorporating lesson plan and a technology infused curriculum.

 

Stages of Technology Integration 

 

If inclusion is in the end-goal, how do we get there? First, we must know where we are and where we are going, and understanding the stages of technology integration will show us where we are. If we do not know where we are, we cannot determine how to get to where we need to be? Maloy (2014, pp. 301-302) referred to the five levels, with brief descriptions:

Entry. In this level, a teacher knows the basics about computer usage and available technologies. 

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• Adoption. In this level, teachers are able to use technology in their classrooms, but their teaching practices are fairly stagnant. 
• Adaptation. In this level, teachers have integrated the use of technology into their curriculum and lesson plans, but may not be truly confident or wise about how to do so. 
• Appropriation. In appropriation, teachers are confident and knowledgeable about using technology with students within and without the school to increase learning and application. 
• Invention. Here is the optimal level of technology integration where teachers have such a deep knowledge, understanding, and confident practice utilizing technology that they utilize emerging technologies or creatively use existing technologies in the classroom. 

When we started this class, I thought I would not benefit from learning about technology in education, as a tech-savvy person who once wrote code... but technology changes, as does pedagogy, and understanding how the two intertwine as well as exploring the various ideas and tools available to us has been daunting, to say the least. I can understand why some feel negatively about technology integration, or overly positive. While I recognize the importance of integrating technology, understanding the time-savings, the wide application and use, I wonder where teachers will find the time to explore and apply these tools when they must first learn about them. I question how our schools can assist us in learning how to use emerging tools wisely, yet give us the freedom to apply them within the classroom to best suit our wide variances of student needs and capabilities. In the book, "Toys to Tools", the author lays out everything from the definitions of technology in the classroom, barriers to such use, and lesson plans and administrative letters (Kolb, L., 2008, pp. 1-22). Although this resource primarily discusses phones as tools for teaching, many of the issues and applications are similar across technologies. 

As a prospective teacher who is somewhat unsure of my capabilities to optimize technology use in my future classroom, reading this text actually helped me to feel more confident. This and other resources are available (Edutopia and Discovery Education are two [favorite] very powerful teaching resources) to help ease us into the infused technology integration that makes up the ideal 21st century classroom.

 

Automate or Informate

 

Lastly, and much related to the two former concepts is the idea of automating or informating activities through the use of technology. We all know what automating something is - many machines can now assemble vehicles that used to be assembled by individuals on assembly lines in big vehicle manufacturing plants. This is the dark side of automation. But we also automate record keeping with online grading software which can average and tally grades for us with the added bonus of allowing students and parents to evaluate their grades in real-time (note: comments and overviews are very important to prevent confusion). For instance, I have automated my own studying routines by listening to lessons read to me as I drive or when I am doing dishes or other activities, which saves me the time of having to read the lessons, cutting down significantly on my requirements, but also giving me the opportunity to reflect on the material in more depth, but this doesn't really change the way my studying is done (process), or the material.  

On the other side, a person can informate a task by using technology to redesign a process and redefining it (Maloy, R., 2014, p. 311). How can we informate learning processes, transforming them? Webquests can do this. As we have covered in our classes, WebQuests utilize technology, putting learning in the hands of the students through a structured process. The students, together with their technology and tools, are able to guide their own learning process, structure and re-structure, and make the best use of it. They are able to take learning that could be dependent upon a textbook and lecture in a classroom and utilize technology, instead or in addition, to learn independently. With the right conclusion, a student can take what they have learned and put it into kinesthetic practice such as making a roller coaster for an egg in this Eggstraordinary WebQuest. The process of a learner taking what they have learned and applying it to the physical construction to practice and demonstrate what they have learned creates additional learning opportunities for students that they may not otherwise have. 

Informating a process through the use of technology can place learning into the hands of the learner, and such an excellent application as in the above WebQuest can make learning more fun, as well as give it breadth and depth that it doesn't have in a textbook and questions. The process of learning changes fundamental structure and application when a WebQuest is used versus a textbook and lecture, and this is the type of restructured learning, infused with technology, which will provide optimal learning opportunities for our students together with more rich learning environments for students and teachers.

Successful 21st Century Teaching by H.Kuri via Gliffy

If we evaluate ourselves, infuse our teaching with technology, and infuse our lesson plans and curricula with technology, we can truly become 21st Century Teachers!

Resources

Grunwald and Associates. (2010). Educators, technology and 21st century skills: Dispelling five myths. Retrieved from Walden University, Richard W. Riley College of Education

Kolb, L. (2008). Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education (pp. 1-22). Livonia, Michigan: International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).


Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2014). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

What Is Successful Technology Integration? (2007, November 5). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-description