Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Experiences with technology and their potential usefulness in the classroom have shaped
a classroom environment on the mere premise that it might augment or enhance the learning
experience would provide a disservice to students. One should implement technology into their
curriculum only if it enhances the learning environment for all students. Therefore, having
technological tools for use as a teacher will facilitate the learning process. However, technology
in and of itself does nothing to expose students to the breadth and depth of a content area, nor
This pre-service teacher is working toward obtaining certification to teach Grades 7-12 in
public schools in Connecticut, and will be student teaching 7th Grade “World Cultures” as a
subject area in the fall. The long-term goal is to teach high school social studies. From that
perspective, working toward instructional design will entail a careful examination of how this
educator can employ technology in the classroom environment as an enhancement tool to reach
all students in a differentiated learning environment. This would pertain to students’ ability to
acquire knowledge, develop skills, and form deep understandings of important concepts and
themes related to the social sciences. A careful and conservative approach toward the efficacy of
utilizing technology will be considered while planning units and lesson plans.
“Differentiated Instruction” and “Understanding by Design” are two theories that are
driving this philosophy. The goal of employing Differentiated Instruction into the classroom is
to create a curriculum that considers who is being taught, as well as where and how teaching will
take place. The main objective of Differentiated Instruction is to focus pedagogy on the
processes and procedures that facilitate learning for students with diverse backgrounds with
1
respect to emotional, psychological, and intellectual development. Working in conjunction with
critically examine what they are teaching and how they can assess the effectiveness thereof.
Both of these theories foster a learning environment that is student based in scope, in that the
overarching teaching methods will efficiently maximize learning for every single student the
incorporating technology into the classroom needs to work within the framework of
the classroom will be aimed toward reaching students who may otherwise struggle with concepts
and themes of social studies. The idea is to assist them in obtaining knowledge and learning
concepts and themes that may necessitate creativity in delivery of ideas in order to connect with
them on an intellectual level. The main purpose, however, is to highlight major themes and
concepts of the social studies curriculum in a manner that offers enhanced learning through a
presentation of various audio-visual tools that can entice interest, inquisitiveness, and
engagement by students.
Technology will be used in the classroom as this future teacher deems appropriate. The
goal is to present technology in the classroom to enhance the learning for given class sessions,
throughout an entire class period, a portion of a class period, or not at all during some class
sessions. However, to complement the classroom environment, an online Web site can
accompany the curriculum by offering students a multimedia approach that will facilitate
organization on their part, and enhance their learning when they are studying independently or in
2
groups. The reason for having this technology available is to allow students to ask questions of
the teacher, with such inquiries being posted publicly or kept confidential depending on
individual preferences. Publicly posted questions and comments can spawn further contributions
by peers, or they can at least result in increased inquiry and understanding by classmates who
To ensure technology use for all students, technology instituted during classroom
instruction will reach all equally, in that this future teacher will physically equip or perform the
duties necessary to deliver the technology in that environment. To ensure access universally,
some class time will be allotted for students to access a library or computer laboratory to assist
with familiarity and comfort toward using technological tools. Furthermore, this future in-
service teacher will have office hours during non-instructional periods and/or after school for
students to take advantage of technology that they may not be able to access at home.
Technology can support learning needs for diverse learners in that there will be multiple
approaches employed in the classroom environment, and students conducting work outside of
class time will have access to content-specific material available online. Various media
presentations will vary the instruction to maintain student engagement both during and outside of
designated class time. Some examples this in-service teacher will use include PowerPoint
presentations to elicit different emotions and abstract thinking among students, and Web sites to
build on classroom instruction. Web sites will include blogs and interactive sites that allow
submission of assignments, the electronic return of assignments to students, and forums for
3
To evaluate if the use of technology in the classroom is effective, this in-service teacher
will inquire with students about its impact on their learning. Furthermore, evaluating student
achievement will indicate whether effective learning occurred with an integrated approach
toward teaching. On a day-to-day basis, varying the technological tools presented during class
time will vary to accommodate student needs and preferences, which should allow for regularly
reflecting and analyzing the efficacy thereof as they work their way through a given unit or term.
Feedback will allow careful examination of whether technological tools truly enhance the