• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO THECURRICULUM
ByMichael D. King
For more than two centuries, schools have used printed papermaterials such as textbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias to educatestudents, but today learning resources are reaching a limitless realm. Virtuallearning and Literacy 2.0 has introduced a plethora of new teachingopportunities for educators: multi-media presentations, computers,telecommunication resources and web-based lessons and units.With emerging technological resources, students also face newchallenges and opportunities. Today's world demands that students learnhow to access, manage, apply, and evaluate rapidly growing banks of information. This newly developed technology-based learning must providestudents with a wide range of expanded opportunities from the basics to thecomplex. The school’s technology curriculum should address digitalstorytelling and computer ethics as well as word processing, database use,graphics, and data analysis. It must give students experience in socialnetworking as well as accessing and organizing information for future use. Inorder to meet these objectives, teachers should begin to build units of studythat merge traditional learning with virtual learning. The lessons and units developed will be integrated into all areas of thecurriculum, not just computer, business or technology classes. The process of blending traditional internal content with the external virtual learning worldwill require all members of the staff to develop technology-based learningunits. The school’s teachers will be vital partners in curriculum developmentas teams of teachers are selected in the development of at least onetechnology-based learning unit.
 
Using the process outlined in this section, teachers will be asked todevelop virtual learning units to be included in the overall technology plan. Inorder to accomplish the development of these virtual units, the school mustfirst train key members of the instructional staff. Once these key membersare trained in the unit development process, the next step will be to askindividuals or teams of teachers to develop virtual learning units using the Technology-Based Learning Unit Planner. The instrument requires the teacherto identify instructional standards, purpose for the unit, learning tasks, typesof assessment, technology tools and methods for integrating technology intothe curriculum.
For More Information Read:Design Methods for Technology-Based Learning Units
As the process of technology unit development begins, the unitdevelopers should use the school’s current curriculum frameworks asbenchmarks for achievement at specific grade levels. The unit developershould identify ways to incorporate technology so that the school will achieveboth state and national standards. The units the teachers develop using thisprocess will serve as samples of what is possible when technology stepsoutside the computer lab and moves into the classrooms.Integrating technology and unit development will encourage acurriculum that is both challenging and meaningful for students. This processalso will create a coherent, workable framework for teacher instruction. Inorder to integrate technology into the curriculum, the school must follow sixessential steps: selecting content standards, establishing purpose,developing learning tasks, defining methods of assessment, identifyingtechnology tools and applying technology integration. The final step in theprocess is to submit all technology- based learning units to the steeringcommittee. These units will be made available to teachers in all subjectareas once the technology equipment is installed. The author has provided amodel of this process in Exhibit 1-1; Model for Technology Unit-BasedDevelopment.
 
Selecting Content StandardsEstablishing PurposeDeveloping Learning Task Defining Methods of AssessmentIdentifying Technology ToolsApplying Technology IntegrationTechnology Steering Committee
Submit all units to be included in the planning document
Exhibit 1-1MODEL FOR TECHNOLOGY UNIT-BASED DEVELOPMENT
Selecting ContentStandards
Acontentstandard is an ability or skill that students can demonstrate, usually in a variety of ways. Using the content standard component of the Technology-Based Learning UnitPlanner, the unit developer should outline the desired content (proficiencies) in aselected subject area or areas. In Exhibit 1-2 Content Standards Component, theauthor has defined the content standards for a unit entitled, “Black History Month.”In this Language Arts Unit, the culminating activity will require proficiencies instudent use of technology to produce an original work, drawing conclusions,
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...