Integrating Technology

How can we purposefully integrate technology and design learning experiences to engage young adolescents? EXCELLENT QUESTION! We have been at this for many years now; integrating technology into the learning processes. Technology is nowadays a routine followed and used by many to teach and learn effectively. Changes to it approaches really fast without us knowing of how to accommodate it into our classrooms in a way that’ll interest our students.

In my classroom, I currently integrate technology with my reading and social study classes. In reading, I use technology as a way of modeling a skill I’m working on. Last week, we worked with my students on a standard that focused on reading fluency. We explored reading intonation and expression and we were able to approach it using Reader’s Theater. Instead of the usual teacher to student routine, I passed out a hard copy of the story Lightning Larry and used a short clip of actors reading out the script of Lightning Larry while the students followed along. Everyone was into the reading by the actors as everyone was attentive. As follow up, I had my students practice reading the script before they recorded it live with a camcorder. My main objective for doing so is getting the students interested into what I was trying to share with them.

With Adobe Education Leaders’ SAMR model, Dr. Rueben Puentedura emphasized the four levels of working with technology.  Like I shared in the beginning, we been doing it for so long not even knowing the levels we were at from where we should be. I applaud the author(s) as it has enlightened the idea that we should maximize what we do to accommodate our student’s interest. The key word in the redefinition level of the model is redesigning or recreating something that they can consider as their very own work. When we allow our students to create their own original work, we giving them the key to performing at a high level of learn.