Gemma Crowell

ABC Community School

October 13, 2015

Position Paper
We are in this time of history where technology is becoming more and more a part of our
lives. Integrating technology in the classrooms is greatly beneficial for students in helping them
to become successful in their adult lives outside of school and at work. Technology is so obvious
in the world around us and plays a significant role in the work field that it is necessary for
students to become accustomed to using it while they are still in schools. When the students
leave the school environment it is important that they gain as much technology knowledge as
they can as a preparation for their college education or entrance into the work field. As part of a
curriculum in schools, teaching and learning technology is beneficial for both the teachers and
students alike. Technology tools such as the overhead projectors, interactive whiteboards, laptop
and desktop computers, tablets, scanners and printers, videos and digital cameras and PDAs are
all necessary in enhancing and combining with traditional instruction and activities and in
making the topics more understandable and interesting for students to learn.
According to a policy report, "technology has expanded from use primarily from an
instructional delivery medium to an integral part of the learning environment. Technology is
serving at least four distinct purposes in the schools: to teach, drill, and practice using
increasingly sophisticated digital content; to provide simulations and real world experiences to
develop cognitive thinking and to extend learning; to provide access to a wealth of information
and enhanced communications through the internet and other related information technologies;
and as a productivity tool employing application software such as spreadsheets, databases, and
word processors to manage information, solve problems, and produce sophisticated products."
(Noeth and Volkov, 2004)
Furthermore, "technology in teaching and learning can work to: help organize and
provide structure for material to students; help students, teachers, and parents interact, anytime
and anywhere; facilitate and assist in the authentication and prioritization of internet material;
simulate, visualize, and interact with scientific structures, processes, and models; help in learning
history and depicting future trends; serve as an extension and enhancer for handicapped
populations; and provide automated translators for multilingual populations." (Bajcsy, 2002)
As for teachers, "with their knowledge of basic technology skills, their responsibility for
the successful integration of teaching and learning technology is their abilities to: use technology
for personal productivity; use technology to support learning in a subject area; design or adapt
technology-learning activities; manage student-centered, technology-supported activities; and
assess student skills within the context of technology-supported activities." (Noeth and Volkov,
2004)
There is no doubt that "when technology is combined with traditional instruction, the
students' assessments result in higher academic achievement in a variety of subject areas than
traditional instruction alone. Students also learn more quickly and with greater retention when
learning with the aid of computers, and their attitudes toward learning and school are positively
affected by computer use. (Fouts 2000)

Identification of Standards

The Common Core Standards

The Common Core State Standards are anchored in expectations for college readiness. Higher
Education will benefit as students graduate from high school better prepared for college and need
less remediation. These standards outline what students should master in each grade and shape
curriculum development at each grade level. The standards establish a clear roadmap of
academic expectations, so that students, parents, and teachers can work together toward shared
goals. The standards are clear, concise, and relevant to the real world, focusing on the knowledge
and skills students will need to succeed in life after high school, in both postsecondary education
and a globally competitive workforce. (http://www.nevada.edu/ir)
Nevada Academic Content Standards
Students growing up in the 21st Century face new and exciting challenges unfamiliar to previous
generations. These students will need to be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives
with an understanding of how cultural differences impact the interpretation of events at the local,
state, national, and international levels. The purpose of the Nevada Social Studies Standards is to
articulate a foundation of skills and content knowledge necessary for Nevadas students to be
successful in our increasingly diverse society.
(http://www.doe.nv.gov/Standards_Instructional_Support/Nevada_Academic_Standards/SocialSt
udies/)
National Educational Technology Standards
ISTE Standards works in concert to support students, educators and leaders with clear guidelines
for the skills, knowledge and approaches they need to succeed in the digital age. These standards
serve as guidelines in innovating education. (http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards)
Nevada Performance Indicators
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that all groups of children reach proficiency in
Reading and Math. The performance indicators are: Student Growth measure of performance on
the State assessments over time. Students who perform similarly on the first administration of the
test are compared to each other after the second. Each student's relative performance to each other
is measured as a percentile; Status Measures of Achievement are determined by calculating the
percent of students in the school who met or exceeded standards on the State assessments. Schoollevel calculations are made for Reading/ELA and Math; Reduction in Achievement Gap is based
on the percent of IEP, ELL or FRL students who meet their AGP targets; and the Other Indicator
is a measure of the student average daily attendance or ADA for a school.
(http://nspf.doe.nv.gov/Home/AboutEle)

Name of Lesson: Concept Map of US Regions

Grade Level: 5
Technology Content Standard Addressed: Content Standard 2.0 Students use appropriate
productivity tools including but not limited to word processing, spreadsheet, database,
multimedia, and telecommunications. Found at http://ccsd.net/resources/math-instructionaltech/computer-performance.pdf
Other Content Standard Addressed: Nevada Social Studies Standards-Content Standard G6.0Places and Regions-Students understand the physical and human features of places and use this
information to define and study regions and their patterns of change. Found at
http://www.doe.nv.gov/Standards_Instructional_Support/Nevada_Academic_Standards/SocialSt
udies/
Lesson Objective: The students will create a concept map of each US region by using
technology to search online to learn about each state's capital and nickname.
Materials Needed: Overhead projector, transparency of the USA map, textbook, computers,
Chromebooks, tablets, laptops, Windows OS 8 or higher, Word processing software, and printer.
Suggested Group Size: 5
Procedures: The teacher will present the USA map using a transparency on the overhead
projector. The regions will be identified and the class will be divided into five groups. Each
group will be assigned a region. The students will work as a team to gather the information
required for each region. The teams will locate the states by visiting websites such as
50states.com, kids.gov, using the computers, laptops, tablets, or Chromebooks. Using a word
processing software, each group will create a concept map of each region, insert a circle shape,
naming the first circle its region name and then creating additional shapes and typing the name of
each state inside each circle, and connecting the state circles to the region circle. They will repeat
inserting the circle shapes for the state capitals and nicknames connecting each filled circle to its
corresponding state. As a team, the students will research the information for each state. As an
individual work, each student will type using the word processing software a short paragraph of
at least five sentences using proper grammar their group's region and will also include a report of
his own contribution to the project and his experience working with the other students as a team.
At the end, each group will present its finished project in front of the class and each individual
will submit his own printed summary.
Assessment: The assessment will consist of two parts: a group grade for the oral presentation
soon after the presentation, and the individual grade for the written summary submitted at the
end of the class. Maximum grade of 50% for group work and 50% for individual report for a
total grade of 100%.

Student Sample
The Southwest Region Concept Map

Oklahoma
City

Sooner State

Oklahoma
The Land of
Enchantment

Austin

New
Mexico

Southwest

Texas

Lone Star
State

Santa Fe

Arizona

Grand
Canyon State

Phoenix

Individual Written Summary

Student Name: Anna Frozen
Student Summary: My group was assigned the Southwest Region of the United States which is
composed of Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. I volunteered to look up Texas and I
used a laptop to research the information for Texas. I found its capital of Austin and its nickname,
the Lone Star State, in the website kids.gov. I also helped Elsa Snow find the capital and nickname
for New Mexico. We got along well together, we shared a laptop and took turns using it, and then
she helped me type the word Austin correctly. My group has chosen Olaf Winter to present the
project in front of everybody, because he had already memorized all of the capitals of the states
and he has a louder voice than everyone else in my group.