ABC Community School

09 May 2016

Reyes, Angelica

Teaching and Learning With Technology

As an educator in the year 2016, I cannot imagine a learning environment without
technology. Nearly everywhere you go, people need the ability to use technology; from a visit to
the bank, to traveling, to doing your bills. Soon, using technology will be a basic skill needed to
live your everyday life.
With the current way that technology is advancing, students must be well prepared to use
technology. For example, many employers now only accept online applications. Being wellversed with technology at a younger age will help students later in their lives.
Technology promotes independence in students. With the internet at their fingertips,
knowledge is easier to obtain. Students can readily access information that they need to study,
without having to ask their parents to take them back and forth to the library, or go through
hundreds of pages of an encyclopedia. Students are also more likely to look up information on
things that they are passionate about. They are more likely to follow through with an important
hobby when they learn more about it through the internet. Although learning to use a computer is
a simple skill, being taught about the accuracy of online articles should be something learned in
the classroom.
Not only does technology help students be innovative, but it also helps educators as well.
With programs that turn data into graphs, teachers can easily track students progress and
learning. To mention a few more helpful technology, there are projectors and sound systems to
help those that are hearing and/or visually impaired.
Sometimes its difficult to get the classes attention. In place of a mundane routine of
lectures and note taking, teachers can implement an exciting, interactive way of learning. There
are ways to animate your lecture, this could be useful in classes like chemistry, where students
would be able to see the instructions before performing a lab. 54% of students say they are more
actively involved in courses that use technology. (Maufett, 2012). With devices like Smart
Boards and iPads, students can look forward to a day of learning in class.
The average school spends between $30,000 and $50,000 a year on paper
alone (Maufett, 2013). In every country, there are thousands of schools, and in each of those
schools, there are students who use textbooks, write essays, and complete assignmentsall on
paper. Although the initial costs of tablets may be pricey, in the long run, they can be re-used for
generations to come. Tablets can replace each thousand-paged textbooks, they can be used for
quizzes, and if a student is still working on an assignment, they can e-mail it to themselves and
work on it at home. With multiple ways to be used, tablets not only save the school districts
money, but they also help save our planet.

Works Cited
Maufett, Lauren. "Tablets in Schools: Saving Money and Trees." Tablets in Schools: Saving
Money and Trees. 05 Jan. 2013. Web. 07 May 2016.
Maufett, Lauren. "Educause Statistics on Technology in the Classroom." Educause Statistics on
Technology in the Classroom. 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 07 May 2016.

Identification of Standards
At a district level, there are more precise standards for the use of technology in each
grade. The most basic standard is knowing how to properly type. Starting from Grade 3, students
must be able to comprehend multimedia presentations that are shown to them. They must be able
to explain why it was used. Finally, at Grade 12, students must be able to identify the quality of
service that electronic products give. They should be able to use technology to their advantage. If
we follow the district standards, each grade level is built upon the previous one. It is important
that a student learns adequately enough to help exceed in the following grade.
The state and national standards for technology go hand in hand. The state of Nevada
follows ISTE standards, which are a more broad definition of what students should be able to do.
These act as a base for the district level standards.
When teachers are expected to follow these standards, it is assured that they wont just set
up a powerpoint for students to follow along. They are now instead expected to teach each pupil
to be prepared for future uses of technology.
For my lesson plan, I will ensure that students meet or exceed the national standard for
students. More specifically, Id like them to follow at least Standard #2, Communication and
Collaboration. Ideally, they would meet all 6 standards, but I would be grading them mainly off
of Standard #2.

Name of lesson: The Giver Project

Grade Level Appropriateness: Grades 5-8
Technology Content Standard Addressed: Meets or Exceeds ISTE Standard #2
Other Content Standard Addressed: Standard: RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story,
drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama
respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the
text.
Objective: Students will comprehend the story and put themselves in the characters
perspective by creating their own utopian/dystopian society.
Materials needed to facilitate the lesson: Paper, pencil, word-processing software,
internet browser, The Giver by Lois Lowry
Suggested group size: 2-3 students per project
Procedures:
Week One:
Read The Giver (Chapters 1-9)
Have students create their own blog on EduBlogs.Org Add them to class blog.
Have students discuss what they thought of the reading (i.e. What they think will
happen next, character discussion, if there are any foreshadowing)
Week Two:
Read The Giver (Chapters 10-19)
Have students discuss what they thought of the reading (i.e. What they think will
happen next, character discussion, if there are any foreshadowing)
Week Three:
Finish reading The Giver (Chapters 20-23) by Wednesday
Have a class discussion immediately after final chapter about characteristics of a
dystopian/utopian society, write their ideas on the board and have students take notes
Introduce The Giver blog project (see below), assign each student 1-2 partners
For the following school days, allow 30 minutes of writing time for each students story
The Giver blog project:
Write a 1-3 page story about your own utopian society. Include a main character, setting,
theme, and supporting characters. You must hand write your brainstorm, first draft, and
revisions. Scan your documents and upload them onto your blog. Your final draft must be
typed and posted on your EduBlogs.Org website. On your assigned partner(s) post/story,
list three ways that could twist their main character to believe that the utopian society
they created is actually a dystopia. Comment your twist below their blog entry.
Week Four:
The Giver blog project due on Monday
Grade according to rubric (see below)

Assessment:

Student
demonstrated
comprehension of
story through blog
discussions.
Student created a
utopian society
complete with a
setting, theme, and
main character.
Student listed ways
that their partners
story could be
twisted into a
dystopian society.
Total Score:

Grading Scale
Totals 0-4: F
Totals 5: D
Totals 6: C
Totals 7: B
Totals 8-9: A