Running head: INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA RESOURCES 1

Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Esther Boner

Regent University
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Introduction

Technology has become a steadily growing piece of society. Just about everyone has a

cell phone, access to a computer and can operate these devices to get to the internet and search

for anything. This is the way of our lives now and will be as we continue to the future. Students

in classrooms often have access to technology on a daily basis. In some schools this looks like a

projector that the teacher shows videos, displays PowerPoints, or uses as a means for visual

instruction. In other schools every student has a computer of their own, the teacher is using

technology in every way possible, creating quizzes, test, and activities to guide students through

the curriculum each day. While it may be easy to become one dimensional with technology I

think it is important to look beyond and find ways to get the students immersed in it. There are a

large amount of resources available to teachers and I have had the pleasure of using some of

them to guide meaningful instruction.

Rationale

The first artifact I have chosen is a Quizlet activity. Quizlet is an online tool used for

creating flashcards. Students can create an account and type vocabulary terms and their

definitions, or they can create test questions with answers and use this to study. The teacher can

also create data sets for students to use and share it with them at any time. This resource also

allows for searching other teacher or student created materials and editing them to fit the SOL or

curriculum set the teacher has chosen. This example is one that I borrowed from my cooperating

teacher and edited to include terms and phrases used instruction. Once I created the study set I

can set up a Quizlet Live game for students to sign into. This game requires students to work in

groups to answer questions as quickly as possible without missing one. If they students miss a
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question they start all over and have to review each of the questions again. This was a great was

to review for an upcoming unit test.

The second artifact I have chosen to attach are google slides I created myself supporting

our nonfiction unit. The slides are all centered around main idea and supporting details. The

idea for this came from a lesson that wasn’t in digital form. The students would be assigned

groups and a bag filled with items. The students would have to look at the items and decide what

the main idea of the bag was. After figuring it out the students would write a narrative outline

the main idea and the details (items in the bag) that supported it. To make this appropriate for

fifth graders and incorporate a digital platform I created five puzzle sets that led to a specific

main idea. Each puzzle set is different and would allow students to come to different

conclusions together. This lesson turned out to be a very fun way to get students thinking about

how all of the parts (supporting details) come together to make one main idea.

Reflection

As the digital and technological world continues to grow around us it is imperative that

we are teaching students to grow with their time. It would be nonsensical to think that standing

in front of student lecturing them is going to help them succeed in the business world of

tomorrow. The students may be equipped with facts and what they jotted down as notes but how

will teachers be sure that students are able to apply the knowledge to the real world? Garbett and

Ovens state that “teaching is a living practice that evolves, adapts and responds to the

opportunities, promises and challenges that are continually unfolding and forming.” (Edify LTD,

2015) By this quote teachers should be continuously adapting instruction to the world around

the students.
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Furthermore, classrooms in the districts of Hampton Roads, Virginia are all either at a 1:1

ratio for student technology or well on the way to it. With this digital connection at the level of

each learner there is a lot of room for differentiated instruction. Teachers have the ability to

assign and answer students in real time, and it helps to free up more time to sit with students in

smaller setting to help them grasp a concept and engage more. “Unshackled from the lesson

form, teacher sue the software to add comments and feedback as needed. The differentiation

frees teacher sup to engage in extended group discussion and conferencing.” (Edify LTD, 2015)

Technology used in a meaningful presentation of curriculum and pedagogy integrated

with the application of digital platforms can create active learning environments. Students need

to be active in their learning process to truly reap the benefits. “Active learning involves

students being responsible for their own learning, determining the pace of that learning and

learning with others.” (Nicol, Owens, Coze, MacIntyre, & Eastwood, 2018) Lessons can be

designed to meet SOL and can stimulate students need to fit technology and what they are

learning into the real world.

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Bibliography

Edify LTD. (2015). Teaching for Tomorrow Today. (K. Graaf, & D. G. Ovens, Eds.) Auckland,

New Zealand: Edify LTD.

Nicol, A. A., Owens, S. M., Coze, S. S., MacIntyre, A., & Eastwood, C. (2018). Comparison of

high-technolgoy active learning and low technolgy active learning classrooms. Active

Learning in Higher Education, 253-265.