RUNNING HEAD: INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY 1

Savannah Torrance

Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 496 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2019.

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Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Introduction

Technology in the classroom is no longer a new concept. We live in a modern age where

technology has become an essential part of our lives. The key now is not in choosing to use

technology, but rather how we use it. One of the most important things to remember is that

technology is similar to content in that “teachers' attitudes and beliefs are crucial factors in

determining the role and effectiveness of technology in classrooms. Attitudes and beliefs about

both educational technology and pedagogy in general will ultimately influence how teachers

implement technology,” (Johnson et. al. 2016). How we choose to use technology platforms in

the classroom is up to us, and our ability to use them well is what will ultimately benefit our

students.

Rationale

I have chosen to share a Kahoot I made to reinforce elements of a good thesis statement

to support my proficiency in using technology in the classroom. The mini-lesson began with a

PowerPoint presentation that only took about seven minutes. After the thesis overview, the

students played the Kahoot game. For the game, I used higher-level thinking questions by adding

questions after each true/false question to ask students why the previous answer was correct. I

also added skill questions by giving students a prompt and asking them to pull out keywords they

could use in their thesis statement. The Kahoot review topics students had learned weeks prior as

well to help bring their learning back to the front of their minds. This artifact shows my ability to

utilize quiz game technology to not only review but to ask more in-depth questions that require

students to demonstrate a skill. And, of course, the winning student gets candy, which

encourages participation and accuracy.

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For my second artifact, I chose to include a picture of myself using the Promethean board

along with the comments from my university supervisor stating I have a good grasp on my use of

technology. The Promethean board is used every day for slideshows, but to really make use of its

full potential, I teach the kids different skills by writing or highlighting on the board for them to

both copy and visually see my explanations. The attached picture shows me teaching the kids

how to highlight and note in the margins for making connections with the text to increase

understanding of the text. This artifact demonstrates my ability to use technology daily both

effectively and efficiently.

Reflection

One thing I was initially hesitant about was the Kahoot game. I knew the students

enjoyed the competition; however, I wasn’t convinced this platform was effective. As I used the

review game, I was able to see what questions most students struggled with due to Kahoot

displaying the results of each question. I used this to target certain questions for reinforcement. It

also gave me a chance to ask students if they knew why an answer was incorrect. The immediate

feedback displayed on the screen was so helpful! I was able to determine what my students

understood and what I needed to go over again. In a study done using Kahoot as a classroom

tool, research found Kahoot to be successful in teaching. “It can be suggested that pedagogical

tools like Kahoot have the potential to enhance and improve high-stakes examination scores….

Students that used Kahoot felt positive about their experience. The results of this study also

suggest that creating a fun and engaging environment also supports improved academic

performance,” (Taitano et al. 2017 p. 80). I certainly saw this environment in action as the

students who normally choose to not participate were attempting the questions and hoping to

win.
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The Promethean board was something I became familiar with in my practicum. That

being said, student teaching has allowed me to develop the skill of using the Promethean for

more than just displaying PowerPoint slides. I have struggled a bit with including the students in

the utilization of this particular piece of technology. It was much easier to call a student up to a

chalkboard simply because they didn’t have the power to break an expensive pen. It is also much

easier to grab an eraser and erase the board instead of having to click an icon, erase, then click

the pen again. I do invite students up to the board, but it seems to take up too more time than a

simple chalkboard would. The students love the technology and I want to be able to include

them, so I am working on finding ways to make it easier and more effective to have them come

up to the board.

The Promethean is also challenging due to lighting. The pictures have to be bright

enough for students to see and sometimes even turning out all the lights doesn’t help. This also

leads to the issue of having to have the lights out during a lesson. Often times when the lights go

out, the students try to clock out. This adds extra work for the teacher as they now have to pay

closer attention to the students while simultaneously trying to teach. This being said, the

Promethean board unlocks a lot of potential for teaching. Thanks to our constant advancements,

“the use of information and communication technology today has special importance, especially

in education and in teaching where students take advantage of new knowledge,” (Murati and

Ceka, 2017). Technology is a tool and is only as helpful as the teacher who uses it.
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References

Johnson, A. M., Jacovina, M. E., Russell, D. G., & Soto, C. M. (2016). Challenges and Solutions

When Using Technologies in the Classroom. In S. A. Crossley & D. S. McNamara (Eds.)

Adaptive educational technologies for literacy instruction (pp. 13-29). New York: Taylor

& Francis.

Murati, Rabije, & Ceka, Ardita. (2017). The Use of Technology in Educational Teaching.

Journal of Education and Practice, 8 (6) p197-199.

TAITANO, E. J., & VUONG, K. (2017). ANALYZING THE EFFICACY OF THE TESTING

EFFECT USING KAHOOTTM ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE. Turkish Online

Journal of Distance Education, 18(2), 80-93. doi:10.17718/tojde.306561